Knight of the Kings Night
by WriteShop
Summary: What if a miscast spell called Shiro into the past, to Arthurian England. Would he get to see his beloved Saber, or would he irrevocably screw up history? And does he care?
1. Chapter 1

Quick note: text in_ Italics_ is thoughts

This Story ONLY uses Fate/Stay Night (because I have not seen any of the other anime). And from that anime, it is clear that her contemporaries knew that Arturia was a woman (Hello, she's wearing an armored DRESS!)

START

"Ok, rookie, lets call it a day" Rin stood up and stretched.

"Well, thanks for the help. I think I am starting to get the hang of it." Shiro Emiya smiled.

"well, you got one out of two spells to work, so that's pretty good."

the pair were sitting at the table in Emya's dining room, going over some magical theory - something they did a couple of days a week. This weeks lesson was on applications of the law of similarity. Shiro had been able to use it to cast a disguise spell, changing the color of his clothes to match the red of Rin's gem, but he had completely flubbed the spell that was supposed to find lost items.

"I should get going. I still have a lot of packing to do." Rin smiled apologetically.

Shiro stood up quickly and moved to give the girl a hand up.

"Yeah, and I guess I should take a walk around town, see if anything is up"

It was over a year since the Holy Grail War - it was the summer after the pair's final year in high school. The two had become much closer since the end of school: With the magic lessons that Rin was giving Shiro, they had been spending more time together than they had since the end of the Holy Grail War. But with Rin going off to London to study magic, and Shiro staying in Fuyuki city, they had decided not to do the 'dating thing'. Not that they had actually _talked_ about it: Shiro didn't want to spoil what they had. And he wasn't certain what was going on in Rin's head - she was a much more confusing person than Saber.

"Ok, I'll see you tomorrow." Shiro held the door for Tohsaka.

"Ok, see you."

There was an awkward pause as they stood facing each other before Rin turned and walked out with a wave.

Shiro took a few minutes to clean up the house, before grabbing a can of coffee and heading out to look for trouble. This had become his regular routine over the past year - every evening, he would walk through a different part of the city, looking for traces of unusual magic. He wasn't some superhero, out to stop muggers or anything like that, but he went looking for magical problems that the police or others weren't equipped to deal with. Most nights, he didn't find anything, but he had put down a couple of Yoma, and (with Rin's help) purified a graveyard that was producing zombies. He figured that this was a reasonable compromise between his wish to save everybody and the reality that he was just one man. It felt good to live by his values.

_So much has changed in the past year_ Shiro mused, thinking about how much more mature and practical he had become - he no longer tried to save everybody. Just most people. Which bought to mind the cynical Servant from the war _I wonder what Archer would think if he saw me now_.

Shiro's mind was not on his self-appointed task as he walked through the city's business district. _Hmm, I wonder if there is any way to summon the servants without the Holy Grail. To talk to Archer, or Saber_ This was a thought that used to haunt Shiro's thoughts a lot, but lately he hadn't dwelt on it at all. Honestly, despite his promise, he had started to forget about Saber.

"Hey, big guy, you want some fun?"

Shiro looked up and blushed - he had walked into the red light district. He turned his eyes back to the side walk and walked faster, the sound of laughter following him. Not that Shiro was a stranger to attracting female attention - what with his working out, and his late growth spurt, he had an impressive build, that combined with his helpful attitude made him quite popular. But he still wasn't comfortable with it - he didn't think he was anything special.

He was half way down the block when he caught a whiff of something. Shiro stopped and reached out with his magical sense. This had always been one of Shiro's strengths - magical sensing and reinforcement were the two skills he had worked on daily since he was a child. Now, he also knew Projection, and a limited repertoire of other magic that he had learned from Rin.

There was reek of some sort of magic from inside the doorway to a bank - currently closed, since it was after 5pm. Shiro stepped over to it and stared at the wall, concentrating the way Rin had showed him. He hoped that the prostitute up the street wasn't paying attention to him - he must look like he was on drugs or drunk.

Slowly a magical mark of some sort came into view. Shiro tried to puzzle out what it did, but he wasn't much good at the abstract magical arts - the best he could tell was that it wasn't killing anybody, and it probably wasn't booby trapped. Since it wasn't actively bothering anybody, he resolved to leave it be and to have Rin take a look at it tomorrow.

_I should head back - I was going to stop by Ryuudo Temple to play chess with Issei_

The walk didn't take long - Shiro was used to it, and he was still zoned out _I wonder what Saber is doing_ He started jogging up the endless stair.

-*FSN*-*FSN-*-FSN-

_I need Avalon!_

Arturia was fighting for her life - The battle had been going since dawn, and now the sun was setting. The enemy was no match for her, but she was tired, and covered in small wounds. None of them were life threatening, but they slowed her down, weakened her, and one of her two opponents - the knight in the pitch black armor - had some sort of magical protection.

Arturia parried a blow from the knight in the horned helmet. He looked familiar, but she was so tired, She couldn't see who it was. The black knight took the opportunity to hit her in the side. Arturia pivoted so the blade wouldn't cut into her, but it still staggered her, so she was barely able to deflect the blow from Mordred...

wait... the knight in the horned helm was Mordred...

Arturia staggered back, dropping to one knee to stop the blow as her vision swam.

_No... it can't end like this _Arturia rolled out of Mordred's path and ducked a blow from the black knight. She was fighting in a haze - she no longer remembered how the battle had started, or why she was fighting. All she knew was that she had to win.

The black knight knocked her down again, and she rolled so that she could stand back up.

_I'm going to die. And Camelot will fall. I will never bring peace to Britain_

_No, I can't fail_

"Avalon!"

*FSN*-*FSN-*-FSN-

Shiro was just stepping through the gate to Ryuudo temple when he felt something strange - a pull in his chest _I'm too young to have a heart attack was_ was the the only thought he had time for before he felt himself yanked sideways, falling into a black pit instead of stepping through the gate to Ryuudo temple.

When he next opened his eyes, he was standing on a low hill, looking down on a field of carnage. There were men in medieval armor lying dead scattered all over the field before him. Amongst them, in small clumps, others were still fighting.

"What the hell? where am I?" Shiro tried to make out what was going on, who was fighting. Nothing made sense. It was sunset, where moments ago it had been full dark. It was the countryside - there were rolling fields all around. And men dying. There was a clash of swords.

Shiro turned towards the noise - at the base of the hill, some 200 yards away, another group of men were fighting.

_Is this a dream? this looks... almost like Saber's dreams. The country side, the men, knights I guess, in european armor... am I in her dreams again?_

"Avalon!"

Shiro's head snapped around - he knew that voice! He took a closer look at the men fighting at the base of the hill, reinforcing his eyes to zoom in. It was Saber, fighting two knights. And she wasn't doing well - she was staggering, barely defending herself, there was blood leaking from her side. And one of her opponents reeked of Magic. A magic of a most vile sort.

Shiro's mind whirled as he considered his options. But being Shiro, there was really only one thing he could do.

*FSN*-*FSN-*-FSN-

Arturia's leg slipped as she fended off another blow from the black knight.

She raised her sword feebly as he drew back his weapon for another blow, when out of the blue, an arrow slammed into the center of his helmet, throwing him to the ground.

Arturia took the moment to scramble back and regain her footing.

The enchanted knight staggered up in an oddly disjointed, almost boneless fashion. As he raised his sword, another arrow slammed into his chest.

But this time, he was ready for it - it barely staggered him.

Then two more arrows hit him, pushing him back.

Five more hit him.

Then 10.

A rain of arrows, fifty or more pummeled into the black knight. His armor deflected most of them. but a few slipped through the chinks, burying themselves in his body.

The black knight sank back down to the ground.

Arturia smiled like a wolf and leaped at Mordred, smashing Excalibur into his helm. He staggered back, on the defensive now.

"Arthur, I come!" It was Bedivere, running with sword drawn from where he had disposed of his own opponent moments ago.

Mordred, seeing the fight was lost, turned and fled.

Arturia collapsed where she stood, too tired to do anything else.

"Arthur... Arturia - are you ok, my Liege?" Bedivere gasped.

"I... will live." Arturia replied, "How goes the battle?

"Mordred's men are in disarray, and with him fleeing, they will route. But we took heavy losses, my Liege."

Arturia nodded dumbly. She had seen. _It is my fault. I lead them to their deaths. I couldn't save them_

"My Liege, who is the archer?" Bedivere pointed up the hill at Shiro.

"I don't know." Arturia staggered to her feet and walked off.

Bedivere was momentarily confused by the lack of orders from his leader, but with a shrug, he started to trudge up the hill.

*FSN*-*FSN-*-FSN-

Shiro gasped for breath. Projection on that scale still took it out of him. When he looked up, he saw another knight approaching him.

He projected Kanshou and Byakuya and took a defensive stance.

The knight held up his open hand in front of him and said something in english.

Shiro concentrated, trying to puzzle out the foreign language. The man in front of him did not appear to be an enemy.

"Who are you?" ha asked

"I am Bedivere. I thank you sir Archer, for your aid." Sir Bedivere said some more, But Shiro didn't catch it, so he just nodded, and lowered his swords.

The two stood like that for a moment, studding each other. Shiro saw a young man, his age or maybe a little older, dressed in well crafted but filthy armor. He looked exhausted, but he held himself with dignity.

"You do not speak English?" He finally asked.

"I speak English badly" replied Shiro. He dissolved Kanshou and Byakuya, drawing a startled look from Bedivere. But the knight did not raise his weapon - he was apparently at least somewhat comfortable with magic.

"What is your name, Sir Archer?"

"I am Shiro Emya"

"Come, Sir Shiro-emya" He waved and turned back down the hill.

Shiro followed.


	2. Chapter 2

For the record, I am mostly following the Fate Path, though this story is set a year after the end of the Holy Grail war. And Shiro isn't one to just rest on his laurels – this is the guy who used his nerves as magic circuits. he has spent the past year training hard, so that he's not too far below the ability level of UBW,

Chapter 2

Shiro stumbled down to the where the men at arms were rallying around the Arthurian flag. As predicted, Mordred's men were fleeing, but the battle had gone on so long, that Arturia's forces were too tired to pursue.

_What the hell am I supposed to do? What CAN I do? _Shiro wasn't a big Sci-Fi fan, but he knew that his being in the past was likely to mess with the future, especially if he changed something major _Rin's going to tear me a new one when she finds out about this_. He still wasn't certain what was going on - his poor english made puzzling out the conversations around him difficult, and he was scared to ask too many questions until he knew who he could talk to without screwing something up. It was a catch-22. And oh, yeah - this was war time - if he asked too many questions, they might think he was a spy and kill him!

Shiro rubbed his hands through his hair. _Maybe I should go somewhere away from the important people_ Shiro looked around at the rabble of men-at-arms - there were maybe a hundred still standing - and started to edge away when the young knight - Bevy Deer or something - came up and pointed Shiro towards a wagon that was collecting the wounded

"Help ... magic?" was the only words he caught out of what he said.

Shiro shook his head. Bevy Deer shrugged and pointed to a wounded man-at-arms, taking him under one arm and looking at Shiro.

Shiro nodded and moved to support the soldier under his other arm, and they helped him to the healer's wagon. Once there, they lowered him down so he was leaning against the wagon wheel while he waited his turn. Bevy Deer said a few words to the wounded man and then took Shiro's shoulder and pointed to another group of wounded men.

Shiro helped with the wounded throughout the night. It was only as the sky began to lighten, and he was staggering on his feet that it occurred to him that he forgotten his worry about messing up the time line. _But what can I do? they need my help_ Shiro sighed. He was sitting against a rock with a water skin that one of the soldiers had given him, taking a break.

"Oh, screw it," he muttered _These people are here, and they need my help. If things change, well so be it. I am not the guardian of reality or something_. He took a sip of the vinegary water and grimaced _this is foul _He swallowed.

-*FSN*-*FSN-*-FSN-

"What are your orders, my Liege?" Sir Yvain asked. He had been helping rally the men at arms, and now had their pathetically small army back in order.

"We rest today, then we return to Camelot" Arturia replied hollowly, her voice carrying a certainty that she did not feel. _I failed them_ "How many of the Round Table remain?"

"It is only Sir Bedivere and I, your majesty" Sir Yvain replied with pain in his voice. The Knights of the Round Table had been good friends.

Arturia nodded. "Get some sleep". She walked off to a rise in the land and stared off at the land around her as the world came back into view with the sunrise. _They would have been better off with a different King_. But she kept her anguish well hidden behind a stoic facade. Otherwise it might hurt moral. _All we do is fight. One battle after another. Yet nothing changes. People just die for no reason. I can't lead them like this_

"Arturia"

She was startled out of here reverie by Bedivere's voice - she had not seen him approach, so lost in though was she.

"Arturia, get some rest. Mordred is gone - you don't have to stand watch."

"I..." Arturia paused not certain how to reply. At the same time, she realized she was beyond exhausted. "Very well"

The two warriors made their way back to the camp

-*FSN*-*FSN-*-FSN-

The next day, when the army started on its way back to Camelot, Shiro went with them. It was the only place he knew here, and he seemed to be accepted. If only because everybody was too tired to question where he had come from.

Arturia and Bedivere rode with the standard at the front of the small column of men, and Sir Yvain brought up the rear.

"My king, I know this is a painful topic, but we need to replace the knights that we lost."

Arturia nodded, "Who?"

"I don't know. We lost the best of them. Maybe I can test the Archer - Shiramya - and see if he is as good with a sword as he is with a bow."

Arturia scowled, "Is he a knight?"

"I don't know - he is a foreigner - I think he is a Dane"

Arturia shrugged, "As you wish"

Bedivere looked over at his Liege and his friend, troubled. "Your majesty, are you ok? You seem troubled."

"And do I not have reason to be? We lost many good men. And Mordred is still alive."

"I know, Sire, but..." Bedivere felt there was more to it than that, but it was not his place to question his king, at least in public. "As you say, your majesty" he acquiesced.

-*FSN*-*FSN-*-FSN-

The army marched through the countryside. Only the knights and the king rode. All the other soldiers walked, except for those too wounded, who rode in the supply wagons.

Shiro found himself walking next to a large, hairy, _loud_ man-at-arms by the name of Eadwig. The other soldiers made a space for the man who towered over them (or maybe it had more to do with his loud, non-stop exposition). But given how short most of the men were, Eadwig was only an inch or two taller than Shiro. Shiro didn't say much, but Eadwig could easily carry both sides of a conversation (carrying things came easily to him. so did smacking people as he gesticulated wildly). And Shiro got the chance to brush up on his english.

It wasn't until half way through the day that Shiro worked up the courage to approach Arturia _I hope I don't screw this up_. Shiro wasn't certain if he meant the talking to Saber or the Time-line. Nor was he certain which was more important.

The army had stopped for a quick lunch, though most of the soldiers hadn't bothered to unpack their belongings, just digging out a chunk of bread.

"Hello, your Majesty" Shiro bowed, "Thank you for permitting me to join your army" Shiro tried to act professional, and not stare at Arturia like a fool.

Arturia frowned in puzzlement _what an odd man?_

"And I should thank you, good sir Archer, for saving my life in the battle of Camlann. I have been remiss in not seeking you out to thank you properly", she said with a small smile and nod.

Shiro bowed again. "It is nothing, your Majesty. I just wished to be of help" Shiro stumbled over the english he tried to speak in a more ornate fashion, like Arturia. He really wanted to make a good first impression, the second time around.

"You are welcome to travel with my men, and if you wish to swear fealty, I would gladly take a warrior of your skill into my service."

"You are too kind." Shiro almost went down on his knee to give his loyalty there and then, but a small, more cautious part of his brain forced him to wait until he knew all the consequences. "thank you"

"If I may ask, are you a knight?"

"Erh, no your majesty."

Arturia nodded politely and turned back to her conversation with Bedivere, signaling that the audience was over.

Shiro was oddly disappointed. He knew that Saber had not met him yet, and that she wouldn't recognize him, but something had seemed... off about Arturia.

-*FSN*-*FSN-*-FSN-

When the army restarted, the whole procession was very subdued (save for a small, almost empty area surrounding Eadwig). It was only once the spires of Camelot were in view that the soldier's spirits lifted, and so did their voices. Many friends had dies, but _they_ were still alive.

As they entered into the walls surrounding the city, they were greeted with cheers.

"The king returns!"

"We are victorious"

"The Usurper is no more"

Not all the cheers were correct, but the soldiers just basked in the accolades. It was good to be home. And to have a beer.

The men at arms melted off into the city, to find their homes, while the knights and the wagons continued on to the castle proper.

Shiro stopped and scratched his head. He was just off the market square inside the gate to Camelot, and he wasn't certain where to go.

"Hey, Shiramya!" A gruff voice called out as a ham like hand slapped into his back. A pair of men-at-arms had come up next to him. Eadwig was one, still looking like a bear that had been forced to wear clothes, the other was a more normal size - meaning he was shorter than Shiro - and had his arm bound up in a sling.

"Come... place sleep... Good food. Cheap... women" Shiro caught enough of the words to get the gist of what they were saying. Or so he hoped. (though he wasn't interested in the cheap women)

The three men made their way to an inn with with a sign board that boasted a pig sitting on a barrel. Inside it was dark and quiet. Or it was, until Eadwig roared "Beer! We have returned from the war and we need beer, for fighting is thirsty work!"

Shiro and the quiet soldier - who had introduced himself as Brian - slumped onto a bench at one of the tables as a young woman dressed in a low cut blouse came out with a tray of tankards

As she placed them in front of the warriors, Brian tried to reach under her skirt with his good hand, which got him slapped.

"But.. injured... have pity" he said said hopefully.

the waitress smiled and shook her head no.

Shiro got up and went to the bar. Speaking softly, he said, "I would like to stay here, but I have no money. I can trade you these, though" He Projected a pair of simple knives and lifted them up onto the bar.

The Bar keep wasn't bothered by the idea of barter. He picked up the two knives and examined them before nodding. "Ok, two months room and board."

"Hey, look at that - We just got here and Foxy has already paid his bill!" guffawed Eadwig

"You could learn something from him" snipped the waitress as she carved off slabs of bread.

Shiro took a look around. Now that he thought about it, he hadn't seen any other red headed people around. He had thought Europeans came in all sorts of hair colors, but pretty much everybody he had seen was either blond or light brown. _I guess even here my red hair is going to stand out._

Shiro rejoined his companions and and glanced down curiously at his trencher: The food was a thick stew served on a 'trencher' - a piece of bread so thick and solid it acted as a plate. He glanced up at his dining companions: They seemed to be perfectly happy to scoop the food up with their fingers and jam into their mouths. The sight was made more disturbing by Eadwig's never actually *closing* his mouth.

"What's the rush to pay? I know your a foreigner, but in Camelot, even foreigners don't have to pay in advance."

Shiro shrugged, "I didn't know if he would accept the knives as payment. It made me uncomfortable not knowing if I could pay." _though the fact that the knives will vanish if I die is not so good either..._

Shiro turned back to his food _I think that's one custom I'll pass on_ Shiro projected a pair of chop sticks and set to.

Eadwig's mouth snapped shut.

Brian looked on in fascination. "How do you do that?"

"What? I carry the chop sticks with me" Shiro replied nervously. He didn't know how his companions would react to his magic, so he had done all his projection under the table, out of sight (or so he had thought).

"No, I mean how do you move those?" Brian mimed a pincer motion with his fingers.

"Oh, that - it's not too hard. Get a pair of twigs and I will show you." Shiro relaxed.

Brian glanced at the door, and then at his food before digging in again, "Maybe next time."

"Bah, who needs twigs? God gave us hands. One for eating with, and the other for wiping your ass." Eadwig stuck one hand under the table and held the other up in the air. "And if you wash them, you can switch them back and forth!" he did just that, before chortling at his own humor and cramming the trencher into his mouth.

-*FSN*-*FSN-*-FSN-

"Where is my sister?" Arturia asked as she collapsed onto her throne. Perhaps not as gracefully as she had wished, but it had been a long day. It had been a long MONTH.

"Uhm..." Owen, The elderly knight who was the seneschal of the castle (who managed all the mundane aspects of what was essentially one giant household) hemmed uncomfortably, "When you left to fight Mordred's army, Guinivere went to get help."

"yes?" Arturia asked with a quirked eyebrow.

"from Lancelot. If he comes back with her, they should arrive within a week" This came out all in a quick rush, and the seneschal braced himself as for an attack.

"I see" Hissed Arturia. The memories still hurt, like a knife in her gut, but she no longer wanted to kill the damn, arrogant manipulative bastard. "You may leave. We will discuss castle business later. I am going to retire to my rooms to change for court"

The Seneschal bowed and turned to leave, almost smacking into Bedivere who was rushing into the throne room.

Bedivere had to run to catch up to Arturia, "So you heard."

Arturia nodded. This was getting better and better. First the disaster of a battle, the kingdom was still in a shambles, and now that bastard was coming to her home. with her sister, so she couldn't even refuse him entry.

"Arturia, say something. You have been very quiet since the battle. It's not good for you to withdraw from your friends like this."

"What friends? They're all dead! I lead them to their deaths." Arturia snapped. as she slammed into her apartment

"I am still here, your majesty." Sir Bedivere followed her in.

"I... I know, I'm sorry" Arturia sighed and sat down by a window. She turned to look up at Bedivere and smiled weakly, "You know that I only speak freely with you because you are my oldest friend."

Bedivere sat down next to the king. "Arturia, I know it is inappropriate for me to say this, but I am your ONLY friend. You are too withdrawn - even your subjects have noticed. It... It makes them discontent. You need to reach out to people more."

"And how should I do that? I am the king, I lead the men to war and to peace. but I am a woman, so I can not be one of them. and I can not be with the women, for I am the king."

Bedivere sighed. "but those that know you will not care. If you just do not push people away, they will respect you as both a king and a woman."

"Oh, and you are one to talk!" Arturia stormed over to her bedroom, "I need to change for court. please send in my maids."

Sir Bedivere sighed again at the dismissal and went to find the servants.

-*FSN*-*FSN-*-FSN-

Shiro lay in bed, It was the first quiet moment he had had since coming to Arturia's world (as he thought of it).

_Why am I here? How am I here?_ Shiro wasn't very strong on magical theory, but he hadn't thought that time travel was possible _Rin would know _He missed her. He missed all of his friends. Thankfully, Fuji-nee would take care of Ilya. And Sakura was spending a lot of time with the Tohsaka, so she should be ok. But he missed them none the less. especially Rin. .

_so what do I do now that I am here? _Shiro wondered if he had been brought back for some task, like a Servant except in reverse. _yeah, like Saber is going to need my help. She is the most scarily competent woman I know. as opposed to Rin, who is just plain scary_

It helped that he had made some friends here. Though that Eadwig character was an utter slob. He was the stereotypical American..

_well, tomorrow is another day_ Shiro rolled over to go to sleep

-*FSN*-*FSN-*-FSN-

Early the next day, Shiro stumbled down stairs to the common room of the inn, awoken by the sound of the townsfolk coming in for their breakfast. His two companions from the previous day were notable absent _maybe they already went out_

"Hello, miss.. I do not know your name" he said to the waitress as she came over to where Shiro had sat down, at the end of a half full table. He worked to enunciate his words clearly. His english had improved dramatically from the forced use, but he still had trouble, especially speaking it.

"My name is Caitlin. Your up early. I though men-at-arms slept until noon except when there was fighting to be done." She glanced back up the stairs meaningfully as she handed Shiro a slab of cheese and a lighter bread than the day before.

Shiro smiled and shrugged, "I am not really a man-at arms. I just helped a little with the fighting."

"So what do you do?"

"A little of this, a little of that. I fix things. I used to work at an inn for a bit"

Caitlin eyed him up and down, taking in the muscular build and the humble personality. "would you be willing to help with something after the morning rush? the stairs to the root seller need a couple of steps replaced."

"Sure, not a problem"

As she went to serve another patron, Shiro tucked in.

"Were you with the king's men at Camlann?" Shiro looked up at his neighbor at the table - he was dressed like most of the others, in rough homespun, and had the build of a laborer.

"Yeah."

He nodded "I had heard that some of the soldiers were staying here. That was some good work you lads did."

"Thank you, but like I told Caitlin, I only came at the end."

"Hmm, but with so many soldiers killed, the king will need more men-at arms. There will be a lot of opportunities for those that know how to use a sword.

"Hmmph!" Another man at the other end of the table snorted, "that's too true, especially the way this king does things"

"What do you mean by that?" Shiro frowned.

"I mean that our king is really good at war, but that's all that she's really good at. She doesn't know what men want - she just sits there in her castle up the hill and eats our taxes."

"The throne is no place for a woman. Men should be kings" another grumbled.

Shiro wanted to defend Arturia, but he didn't know what to say, "I think she's trying really hard. If she could, she would she would protect everybody."

"It isn't protection I am talking about. But a lot of tradesmen have left. I remember when I was a boy there used to be far more shops than there are now.

"Hey, that's not fair, interrupted another man, "Many left when the Usurper was here."

"And maybe.." started the grumbler before glancing at Shiro thoughtfully, "I have to go to work."

The inn emptied pretty fast after that

-*FSN*-*FSN-*-FSN-

"Hello? is Shiramya here?" called out a familiar voice

"I am here" Shiro stood up from where he was fixing the hinge on the door to the bar.

Sir Bedivere boggled, "You are working as a common laborer?"

"No, no - it was his idea!" Harold, the barkeep, came out from the back room, panicky about having a full knight in his establishment.

"It's ok" Shiro smiles, "I enjoy helping out any way I can."

Sir Belvedere looked oddly at the young man, but continued with a shrug, "I would like you to come up to the keep, so we can see how well you fight - it is no secret we lost many men-at-arms, and we are looking to hire able men."_ and it would help if we didn't have to train them from the ground up _this last Sir Bedivere kept to himself.

Shiro wiped off his hands on a rag and replied, "Sure, I guess. I don't have anything else to do here."

The lukewarm response was in part because Shiro's mind was whirling between the possibility of REALLY screwing up the timeline as a soldier, versus the chance to spend time around Saber. And he might really make a difference to Camelot, in keeping people safe. especially if their whole army was something like a hundred soldiers.

"Are you coming?" Sir Bedivere had paused in the doorway when he realized that Shiro wasn't following him

"Sorry, I spaced out," Shiro quickly followed the knight. "I am surprised that you have time for training," Shiro added, thinking that Sir Bevy-Deer was obviously a high ranking knight, and this was a fairly menial task.

"There is much work to be done, and few hands to do it." Sir Bedivere glanced at his companion, "And honestly, the work keeps my mind off of all those that not here anymore."

-*FSN*-*FSN-*-FSN-

Arturia walked the perimeter of the training yard, watching several men at arms practice. It was good for their morale to see their king. And it let her avoid the court. She loved her kingdom dearly, but she couldn't cope with all the simple minded details that kept cropping up lately. It was too much. And with so many knights gone, the work load was even worse as the outlying baronies that they had ruled were now pestering her as well.

She stopped to watch as Sir Bedivere faced off against a fighter in ill-fitting armor _Ah - that must be Shiramya - I see she found some spare armor for him_. The two squared off, with the foreigner taking an awkward stance, with his sword held upright in a two handed grip.

Sir Bedivere charged in, his armor not slowing him at all, Shirao was hard pressed to to defend himself, the bulky armor slowing him down, and preventing his usual range of motion. After a quick exchange, Shiro was on his back. Moments later, he was back up, ready for the next pass.

The third time around, Arturia found that she had made her way to a closer section of the yard, so she could hear what must be cursing in Shiramya native tongue as he got back up _well, he is a good archer. He must have been a hunter_. She was about to turn away when she saw the foreigner start to strip off his armor. She paused, part out of curiosity, partly out of... something.

Once out of the armor, Shiro again took a fighting stance. Sir Bedivere looked skeptical, "Shiramya, I do not wish to hurt you."

"I trust that you have good enough control to keep from killing me. And if I get injured, well, then I shall take responsibility for that." Shiro grinned and held his sword in the japanese manner. They were fighting with blunted swords, but they were still heavy enough to break bones from a solid hit.

Sir Belvedere looked up at Arturia, who gave a small nod.

The knight charged, intending to knock Shiro down. The red head ducked sideways, making a slash that caught the knight under his sword arm. Sir Bedivere stopped and re-assessed his opponent: in real combat that blow would have crippled him.

Sir Belvedere approached again, more cautiously. This time, Shiro darted in, swinging a flurry of blows that the more heavily armored knight was hard pressed to deflect.

Arturia watched in fascination as the young man dodged and deflected Sir Bedivere's blows - it was the most haphazard, disorganized attack she had seen in a long time. It seemed like a miracle each time Sir Bedivere missed.

Apparently, Sir Bedivere felt the same - surely the last miss was just an accident, and with just a little more effort, the next swing will end in a solid blow.

Yet it never did. instead, Shiro landed a few good hits on the knight whenever he over extended to take advantage of Shiro's clumsiness.

"You are very fast, Shiramya, but what happens as you tire? Men at arms must fight even when tired, or the footing is bad. that is why they must learn to fight in armor." Sir Bedivere finally called the spar to an end. he was panting, out of breath in his armor.

Shiro shrugged, " I am sorry, but that is the only way I know how to fight." He replied with polite defiance.

"Then we will have to teach you how to fight in armor"

"Let me think about that", Shiro set his jaw in stubbornness, and turned to go.

"Shiramya" Arturia found herself calling out, "well made armor is far less constricting than that stuff you just tried out" she pointed to the discarded loaner armor, "Let me have my armorer make you a set of armor that is a good fit, and see what you think."

Shiro turned to face the king, "Thank you your majesty, but I do not want to impose on you - I know how expensive good armor is." He still looked mulish.

"It is no imposition. You saved my life," Arturia replied, "Besides, you can show me how you fight without armor in exchange for lessons in armored combat."

Shiro's face lit up with a smile, "in that case, that is a honest exchange. I will be honored." He bowed.

Arturia smiled at his odd manners.

Sir Bedivere quirked an eyebrow as she sent for an armorer to come take Shiro's measurements.

-*FSN*-*FSN-*-FSN-

"So what do you think about our Archer?" Later that day, Sir Bedivere had found the king on the battlements of the east tower, staring out into space.

"He's definitely a Dane - he fights like a berzerker" Arturia smiled.

"Mmm. You were correct that in the proper armor, he would be a force to be reckoned with. He is extremely fast, and his sword almost seems like an extension of his arm. Unfortunately, he is not a knight."

"we can fix that" Arturia replied.

Sir Bedivere nodded. "I am glad you are taking rebuilding our military so seriously, Sire," Then, visibly steeling himself, he continued, "but mayhap you should spend some more time on the civil affairs?"

Arturia replied "the kingdom is in good hands."

"Yes, but they are not _your hands_, your majesty." Sir Bedivere almost whispered.

Arturia turned to glare coldly at her close friend. "I oversee all that the seneschal and the staff do in my name" she ground out angrily.

Sir Bedivere bowed," I have overstepped my bounds, your majesty. I apologize."

"Then we won't discuss this any further." Arturia turned and walked off, her good mood ruined.

-*FSN*-*FSN-*-FSN-

The rest of the day passed without incident, though Harold had become somewhat nervous around Shiro, and did not ask him for any more help with the chores. But Caitlin did not have any such compunctions, and Shiro soon found himself chopping turnips.

That evening, as the three men at arms gathered for dinner, Brian again reached out for Caitlin's dress.

**smack**

"Don't even think about it, boy-yo." Caitlin scowled at him, "maybe if you were a hard worker like Shiramya here..." She threw her hair over her shoulder and stalked off. Half way back to the bar, she glanced back over her shoulder with a smile, to show that there were no hard feelings.

"She doesn't want word to get around that she's easy. But bar maids love soldiers. I bet I'll have her in the the stables tonight" Apparently, Brian was a slow learner.

"So that's what you were doing up so early - our Brian could take lessons from you in wooing women" Eadwig chortled.

Shiro smiled sheepishly, "I really wasn't - I just like helping out. And I can't sleep late."

Eadwig laughed "What, lad, you think I was sleeping? Well, I may have been in abed, but who says I was alone?" He waggled his shaggy eyebrows.

"Eadwig, my friend, " chimed in Brian, "the only time you don't sleep alone is when you are on campaign, and are sleeping with the rest of the army."

Eadwig turned and raised his mug to pour it over his friend head. But as he looked at his mug, he thought better of it, instead tilting his head back and swigging down the last gulp of beer as he mashed the smaller mans face into his trencher.

"You want to fight? Brian staggered up to his feet.

Eadwig also lurched up,

"Guys, no fighting!" Shiro stood up and put out his arms between the two as Harold came screaming over with a rolling pin "take it outside!"

Brian glared at Eadwig before wiping the gravy off of his cheek. "Next time you're drunk, I'll whup your ass." He sat back down.

"Fine with me. I'd say you'll get you chance in about an hour's time."

"I'll be tupping the barmaid then."

"Well, call it an hour and ten minutes then"

"Deal" Brian glared at his jovial friend.

Shiro rolled his eyes at his new friends. _I wish Rin could see these two_ He was just leaning back to watch their antics when a sudden though made him jolt upright _Wait a minute - isn't there supposed to be a super wizard who works for King Arthur... Merlin or something? He could help me figure out what happened._

Shiro turned to his companions, "I heard that there is a wizard here in Camelot."

"Oh, you mean Merlin." Brian replied around a mouth full of food.

"Now there's a womanizer for you" interrupted Eadwig, "he ran off about half a year ago with this pretty little witch that was young enough to be his daughter."

Brian nodded approvingly.

"Oh," Shiro replied, "Are there any other wizards around?"

"Not that I have heard of."

"Well, not like Merlin." Brian added, "If you want a hedge wizard to make you cow go to stud, or put a curse on your neighbor, there are those"

"Yeah, so no wizard, and with most of the knights of the round table dead, there's nobody to keep the roads safe." Muttered another man at the next table.

"Can't the men at arms do that?" Shiro asked, "there can't be _that_ many brigands."

"It's not brigands I am talking about. There are things out there that no regular man wants to face, like the troll that has moved under Bragamoor bridge."

"Hmm, trolls are bad business." Brian nodded sagely.

"Yeah. this one has a taste for human flesh. It eats anybody who tries to cross the bridge. And if nobody does, it roams the countryside at night, looking for a meal. Folks have taken to staying inside after sunset. At least that way all the thing kills are the sheep.

"Usually" snorted another traveler, "I hear that the troll breaks into peoples homes if it gets a craving for people."

"Well, you'll see - The king will call up the army to deal with it" Piped up a teenager. The tavern was getting filled up with the dinner crowd.

Eadwig gave the kid an evil eye, "We just got home, boy. I, for one, am not going anywhere until I get some rest."

"How far away is this bridge?" asked Shiro.

"It's about two days ride north. It's going to be a real pain to go around it."

"Yeah, and half the merchants didn't come to Camelot this fall because of the Usurper, so prices are already bad" added Harold from behind the bar with a scowl.

"Maybe I can go do something about this troll" Shiro couldn't believe what he had just said. _Rin always said that I need to stop trying to fix the worlds problems. And especially this is the wrong place for me to go charging off to be a hero. This could go SOOO wrong_

"You serious, lad? Brian asked.

"Somebody has to do something." Shiro looked up at Brian, "Unless you want to?" He asked

Brian just snorted. "Your funeral"

"I"ll go with ya, lad. If only to collect what's left of your carcass after the troll mauls you." Eadwig interrupted.

"I was joking - I don't want you to put yourself at risk for me."

"Pffft. I ain't fighting that thing, you got that right. But every knight has a squire. I figure you could use an extra pair of hands"

"Yeah, I am a city boy - I probably would get lost on my own," Shiro admitted sheepishly. "So I, ah, was thinking of setting out tomorrow morning."

"That's good with me," Eadwig pushed away his mug of beer, "Sorry, lad, I ain't going to be getting drunk today" This last was directed to Brian, "You'll have to wait a while longer to take a run at me."

Brian didn't do any 'tupping', either (though not for lack of trying).

-*FSN*-*FSN-*-FSN-

"I think I see a light" Shiro said as he peered into the gathering gloom. He and Eadwig had made good time up the north road, but now night was falling, and the pair were hoping to spend the night indoors.

"Let's see if it's the traveler's inn."

The two picked up their pace. Soon, they arrived at a small village - it was several houses clustered around a large inn.

"Hello! What's there in the pot?" Eadwig bellowed good naturedely as the two travelers pushed into the common room.

An older man looked up in surprise from polishing the bar, "Welcome, strangers. We have stew. Usually we would have other foods, but we have had few travelers this summer." He ended with an apologetic shrug. And indeed, the room was almost empty, save for a few men that had the look of locals sitting at one table drinking quietly.

"Aye, well, that is what brings us out here. We will slay the troll!" bellowed Eadwig.

Everybody stopped and looked at the unlikely pair of would-be heros.

"Well, it's mostly going to be me doing the slaying" Shiro added self consciously.

"It's your funeral" muttered one of the locals.

"Go home boy." Added a second.

"Not that we aren't grateful for the help," explained the innkeeper, "but the troll is more than a match for anyone. It will take a company of knights to kill it. When it first arrived, a couple of the local boys who had done time as men-at-arms tried to drive it off." The inn keeper shook his head sadly, "It didn't end well"

"Well, we will do what we can." Shiro replied as the innkeeper gave him a bowl of the stew.

"What you can do is go tell the lazy ass king to send his knights!" roared one of the men as he stormed out the door.

Shiro and Eadwig finished their meal in uncomfortable silence.

-*FSN*-*FSN-*-FSN-

"Where the hell is that idiot?" Rin stormed around the Emya residence, peering into closets and under beds in the desperate hope that Shiro was hiding somewhere. Or at least that there would be a clue. But the house was as it usually was - neat, with all of the half-magi's things put where they should be.

"If I knew, I wouldn't have called you, now would I?" sniped Fujimura. While not usually the most calm of people, she was noticeably more upset than usual - it wasn't like Shiro to disappear without telling anybody anything. "I called Sakura, but she's not answering her phone."

Rin didn't mention that her sister was attending a purification ritual in Okinawa somewhere. "Did you try Issei? He's a dweeb, but Shiro is friends with him"

"Yes," the Taiga gave an exasperated sigh, "He's the one who contacted ME when Shiro missed their chess game yesterday."

Rin scowled. This wasn't like Shiro - he was usually very responsible. "I have a few things I can try to find him."

"Should we call the police?"

"Yeah. maybe they can do something." _As long as he didn't run afoul of something magical_ That was Rin's greatest fear. That somebody involved with the Grail war had come to settle a grudge.

-*FSN*-*FSN-*-FSN-

"Are you certain you don't need more equipment?" Eadwig asked for the umpteenth time. He and Shiro had been walking the north road for two days, and dusk was not far off. Neither was the bridge.

"I'm fine with what I have" Shiro replied. The pair had purchased enough food to last them several days at the last village. Eadwig was wearing his armor, and had a fearsome battle axe strapped to his back, and a dagger long enough to qualify as a sword at his side. Shiro, on the other had, was dressed in his usual clothes.

"Do you think we will reach the bridge today?". The woods were turning dark and menacing as dusk approached. And the almost constant drizzle made visibility even worse

"We should - I haven't been up this way in a couple of years, but the locals at the village all insisted on it"

The last village had consisted of about half dozen huts clustered at around a run down inn. The villagers were all desperate, as they relied on travelers for their living. But even they had been skeptical when Shiro said he meant to take on the troll.

The pair rounded a bend in the road and quite unexpectedly found themselves at their destination.

The road had been winding its way through the forest, when it abruptly came to a slow, deep stream. The water in the river looked black. The bridge was old, and made of stone. It must have been built by the Romans, for it was much more massive than anything the locals could make.

"Well, here goes." Sighed Shiro, "You wait for me here" He dropped his pack under an evergreen, in the forlorn hope that it wouldn't get any more soaked. Eadwig started as Kanshou and Byakuya appeared in Shiro's hands.

The redhead walked up onto the bridge and stopped at the peak, holding himself alert.

There came a snuffing sound from underneath.

"Fee, Fi, Fo, Fum, I smell the blood of an english kind!" came a gravelly voice from below. "Pay my toll in gold, and I will let you live to be old"

_The hell? Is it trying to rhyme?_ "I am not giving you anything. I want you to leave this place and trouble it no more."

A giant hairy paw reached up from underneath to grasp the edge of bridge, and a giant humanoid creature vaulted up, towards Shiro.

Shiro leaped back and took a defensive stance.

"Ha. You are a little morsel." Scowled the hideous thing as it landed in a crouch on the bridge. "There is no meat on your bones. If you offer me a fat sheep, I may actually let you live."

"You already said that" Shiro retorted, as he took a fighting stance.

"Ya, but last time I was lying." The troll charged at Shiro without any warning, swiping at him with a hand that was tipped with dagger-like claws.

_I't's fast for its size_ Shiro darted aside and slashed deep into the monsters side.

As he turned to face the creature again, he was almost knocked off the bridge by a clumsy swipe from its paw.

Shiro ducked and blocked, forced onto the defensive by the ferocity of the attack.

the young swordsman's eyes grew wide when he noticed that the cut in the monster's side was already almost healed. And every other cut he dealt it healed almost instantly.

_Time for a new strategy._

Shiro reinforced his legs and leaped backwards twenty feet.

As the troll recovered from the surprise, Shiro drew back and threw his swords at it with all his might, and charged.

The troll grinned and and charged the red head as well.

As the swords spiraled towards it, the troll ducked under them and and reached for Shiro, only to find two chunks of steel sticking out of its body. The troll looked dumbfounded at the swords that the young man had buried in its chest. Before the troll could recover the two thrown swords circled back and plunged into it's back.

Shiro let go of his swords, leaving them buried in the creature, and conjured another pair. As the troll reached to grab his head, Shiro plunged the new swords into its arm, and left those there as well.

The troll bellowed in pain and reached to pull loose one of the blades in its arm.

Shiro held out his hands, and two more swords appeared. He lunged and impaled the monster yet again. The troll had never fought against an opponent that fought like this, that could inflict so many wounds. It staggered back in confusion, to try to pull out some of the weapons that, but Shiro followed it, swinging another sword into its side.

Soon the monster had swords dangling from every body part. Its flesh couldn't heal with the steel embedded in it, and Shiro was stabbing it faster than it could remove swords. Soon, it looked like its body was made of blades.

The troll collapsed to it's knees, its legs so full of metal that they wouldn't support it any more. Shiro closed and brought down his newest sword with all his might across it's neck, lopping off the head.

-*FSN*-*FSN-*-FSN-

Eadwig watched as the troll vaulted itself at his companion. before he could cry out a warning, Shiro was moving. The English man-at-arms watched in stunned silence as Shiro blurred under the Trolls attacks, stabbing the monster with swords that appeared as if by magic in his hands.

Eadwig had watched some of the Knights of the round table spar. They were amazingly good. Shiro was on a whole other level. He moved faster than humanly possible.

And the swords. Where were they coming from?

Finally, the troll collapsed. It was so full of sharp pointy things, that it's muscles were all severed.

As the body lay there, twitching, Shiro called out to Eadwig "I think we need to burn the body - I don't want the thing getting better"

Eadwig cautiously made his way up onto the bridge, where Shiro stood over the carcass, "I don't think we will be able to find any wood that's not too wet - it'll take hours to get a good fire going." He eyed the body of the troll, which continued to twitch, long past when it should have stopped.

Before Eadwig could ask any questions about what he had seen, Shiro sighed, "Well, there's something I can try". Shiro racked his brain for the ritual that Rin had taught him. While he was a piss poor magus, he could do some basic magic, as long as he took his time.

He picked up the troll's head and tossed it onto the body. He then stuck the tip of Kansho into the ground and scratched a circle into the stone of the bridge. _I hope this works - it would be better to do this on the ground, but I don't want to chance moving that thing_. He stepped back to inspect his handiwork - the circle was faint, but visible.

With a satisfied nod, Shiro started to walk the perimeter, reciting the Aria that Rin had taught him. Now came the hard part - he pushed and twisted his prana into the circle. Step by step, it built up.

"I call forth the fire, by the Fire that birthed me, I call you forth, like to like!" He recited over and over again in the german that Rin preferred for her spell casting.

Eadwig watched his friend paced around the not-dead corpse as he recited something about fire. It started to get warmer.

As Shiro started his second time around the circle, small flames started to dance on the corpse. By the third time around, the fire was large enough that the troll had started to smoke.

The fire built with each circuit as Shiro paced methodically.

by the seventh and final lap, the troll's body was engulfed in a towering flame, like the fire in Fuyuki City which Shiro had lived through.

As Shiro collapsed to the ground exhausted, Eadwig approached cautiously. "You never told me you were a wizard."

"I'm not, really. My teacher tried her best, but I just can't get the hang of most magic. The only magic I can do well involves swords. I can do a couple of other spells, but you saw how long it took me to cast the fire spell - a real mage could have done it with a wave of her hand. And Fire magic is easier than most for me."

Eadwig raised an eyebrow. "It's still magic. You should be careful - there are some as follow the new religion that will call it devil's work"

"Yeah, I figured, but what else could I do? I couldn't just leave the body there."

Eadwig shrugged. "You were pretty impressive with those swords, boy. Where did you learned to fight?"

Shiro smiled, "I learned from the best"

Eadwig wasn't one to pry, so when Shiro did not add anything further, he grunted, holding out his hand to Shiro. As he pulled the red head up, he pronounced "let's go back - I'm hungry, and I can't eat with the stench of burning troll in my nostrils"


	3. Chapter 3

A couple of comments:

I am aware of the typeMoon Wiki, and I DO try to follow canon, but on those occasions when I have to choose between canon and telling my story, well, canon going to 'take one for the team'

The main comment I have received along that line is re: the long lasting projected daggers that Shiro trades the innkeeper. In my take on it, Shiro can maintain a traced item indefinitely, as long as he keeps pouring prana into it. With anything larger than a small dagger, it would take far too much prana to be practical.

So yes, the daggers that he traded to the innkeeper will also disappear if he gets knocked unconscious or really distracted. But they were the best he could do - Shiro really hates the idea of not paying his debts - He feels he owes people far too much already. That's why he's always eager to help.

Also, in my story, Camelot exists somewhere around 600 CE.

_Italics_ = thoughts

**START**

'_I need help. I need to find where that Merlin character went'._

Shiro was working on fixing up a barn - one of the regulars at the Boar and Barrel Inn had complained that his barn had collapsed. So of course, Shiro volunteered to help fix it. It also gave him an excuse to leave the inn - they had been back from their expedition against the troll for a week now, and Eadwig continued to regale the townspeople with stories of Shiro's exploits. Somehow, in the retelling, the five minute fight had grown into an hours long epic battle.

'_Seriously. The troll was nasty, but it wasn't in Berserker's class or anything.'_

Shiro figured that he would have to put up with it, at least until people stopped offering Eadwig free beers to hear the tale, though admittedly, the man was a good story teller.

Also, the work helped stave off the melancholy. Shiro missed his friends back in Fuyuki. He had never planned to leave his home, and he had never thought in his wildest dreams that he would ever be so far away, both in space and in time. He especially missed Rin. Even though the two were expecting to be separated after the summer, they could have at least talked on the phone.

He wordlessly held another beam in place as the farmer hammered it onto the barn wall. Little was said during the whole time. The farmer was normally taciturn and Shiro was lost in thought.

-*FSN*-*FSN-*-FSN-

The throne room wasn't nearly as silent as Shiro's workplace. Although there was no one busy with manual labor, the level of noise was far greater than any single hammer could produce.

"Your Majesty, we need men at arms," a man said. "A band of vicious bandits has made itself at home in the Farnwell woods."

"Sire, I think the priority should be on repairing the streets," another objected. "The Usurper pulled up many of the cobble stones to use as ammunition in his catapults. If the roads aren't fixed, we will lose out on business."

Arturia was sitting in state, listening to her advisors as they argued over what needed to be done. And the list was long. Camelot was in a sad state after the war.

"And who will pay for this? The taxes this year are almost nothing" said a richly dressed man with the symbol of the chief tax collector on his chain.

"That's because most of the farmers were looted or even burnt to the ground this year," a man dressed in plain but well woven clothes replied. His position - advocate for the peasants - was something Arturia had instituted.

Arturia rubbed her head. '_It's too much. Too much needs to be done, too little money to do it, and nobody really cares! They just want me to win wars for them'_

In that moment the herald stepped into the room."Would it please the court, I would like to announce His lordship, Sir Lancelot du Lac," he pronounced loudly.

'_Oh, god. It's gotten worse.'_ Arturia steeled herself and turned to look at the entrance.

A young man, in his late twenties, walked in. He was dressed in richly appointed traveling costume and carried himself with an almost arrogant ease. At his side walked a woman his age, who looked much like Arturia, but with more feminine curves. Or maybe it was just the elegant (if somewhat revealing) dress that she wore.

"And Lady Guinevere" finished the herald.

'_The prick had time to go get changed before he came to greet his king,'_ Arturia scowled,

"Greetings, sir knight, I hope the trip was not unduly hard."

"Nothing wrong with being hard," smirked the handsome knight. Guinevere blushed and looked down.

Arturia felt her blood pressure rise. "I am glad to hear that."

Several of the courtiers tittered at the double entendre.

Arturia gritted her teeth and continued, "In that case, we will have a feast in your honor tomorrow night."

"Why not tonight? I am always ready to go" There was more smothered laughter at Lancelot's comment.

"Indeed, but some in your retinue might need the rest."

Lancelot snorted with a smirk. Others, hearing him, also laughed. Arturia felt like strangling the arrogant man. '_Was he always this bad? What did I ever see in him?'_ She gritted her teeth and continued, "and the kitchens need the time to arrange a suitable meal. One must take the needs of the commoners into consideration as well as your own," she chided.

Guinevere, who had been standing quietly through this, turned and whispered to Lancelot "You take my needs into consideration quite well, my lord."

Arturia wasn't certain what her sister was saying to Lancelot, but she didn't like the way she was hanging on his arm. "Any other business?" Arturia turned back to the court, implicitly dismissing Lancelot.

"As a matter of fact," Sir Bedivere stepped forward, "I have been hearing rumors about the archer, Sir Shiramya. According to the tale, he went up the north road and slew the troll that was plaguing travelers there. I would humbly petition your majesty to knight this young man, for the kingdom needs more good knights in this dark time."

"Very well, Sir Bedivere. Invite him to the welcome feast and I will speak to him then."

-*FSN*-*FSN-*-FSN-

Shiro was walking back to the city. The farmer had offered him a ride, but since it was only an hour long walk and the weather was beautiful, he preferred not to interrupt the farmer's work.

As he came into sight of Camelot, he saw a rider approaching from the opposite direction. Shiro stepped aside to make way and he was very surprised when the rider stopped and slid off his horse.

It was Sir Bedivere, dressed casually in loose riding cloths. He bowed slightly to the redhead. "Greetings, Shiramya."

"Uhm, hello, Sir Bedivere. How can I help you?"

"Oh, you already have. That is why I am here", Bedivere smiled as he examined Shiro's face. "As a token of her gratitude for ridding our kingdom of the fearsome troll, King Arturia has invited you to the feast that is being held in honor of Sir Lancelot's return to court."

"Uhm, all right. Thank you," Shiro replied sheepishly. He then glanced at Sir Bedivere and then over at Camelot, not certain what to do. He didn't want to offend the very formal knight. The way he spoke, he reminded him of Issei. Except, there was something off about the knight, in his opinion.

"Come, I will walk with you," Bedivere gently pulled on his horse's reigns, so that the beast would follow him as he walked at Shiro's side. "The tale that your squire tells has you fighting the troll from sunrise to sunset, and then long into the night."

"Oh, I hope nobody takes that seriously," Shiro replied, "he's just exaggerating to make the story more interesting and earn himself free meals. Not that I really mind. The part about him getting meals out of it I mean," he quickly added. "He helped me without asking for any reward, after all."

"And what about the part when you used magic to burn the troll to ash?" Sir Bedivere asked as he looked intently at Shiro's face.

"Oh, that part is real, though I am actually a very weak magus, wizard." Shiro had to look away from the intense stare that the knight was giving him.

They walked quietly for a few minutes, before Bedivere continued. "Shiramya, I must tell you, the reason that you are being invited to the feast in not only to thank you, but also so that his majesty can speak to you. If you speak well, the king could make you a knight of the realm."

"Oh, um, thank you?" Shiro replied in embarrassment. The idea of finally being able to talk to with Saber after all this time gave him butterflies. "Uh, can I ask you a question, uh, sir knight? Please tell me if I am being rude," Shiro said hesitantly.

"Do not worry, I will not take offense," Sir Bedivere smiled.

"Why is Arturia, her Majesty I mean, a King instead of a Queen?"

Sir Bedivere smiled at his memories. letting Shiro's casual way of referring to the king pass without comment, "There was a prophecy, passed on by Merlin, that whoever was pure of heart enough to pull the sword Caliburn from the stone would be king of all of England. Well, Her Majesty was the one to do so. It was just after the summer tourney. She had become very wroth with all the bickering of the nobles, even in the face of the Saxons nibbling off pieces of the kingdom in the east and the Picts raiding from the north. So She decided, there and then, to pull forth the sword to unify England."

"But once she had pulled the sword out, the nobles wanted to proclaim her Queen and quickly marry her off to a malleable young noble, who would be King." Sir Bedivere chuckled for a moment."She disabused them of that idea rather quickly. She boldly challenged anybody who doubted her right to be king to single combat."

"Did anybody actually challenge her?" Shiro asked.

"They all did," Bedivere confirmed. "All the knights that had been at the tourney. And she beat them, one after another."

"It sound like you knew Her Majesty even back then."

"Yes, it was her example that lead me to take up arms: watching her fight all those knights though all the afternoon, beating them without taking any injury. She truly was amazing to watch," he reminisced.

"Yes, she is," Shiro agreed, reminiscing as well.

Sir Bedivere looked up sharply at Shiro, asking pointedly, "And, where are you from, Shiramya?"

"Uh," Shiro's face fell. "I don't know how to explain in a way that would be believed."

"I would believe you,"

"Thank you," Shiro replied, "but if I am going to tell anybody, I should tell Arturia first."

Sir Bedivere gave an exasperated sigh.

-*FSN*-*FSN-*-FSN-

The man adjusted the hood of his cloak so that it cast his face into shadow. He was waiting at one of the back tables in an ill lit tavern, and had been for some time. His associate was late. He adjusted his hood again.

The nervous man just had time to look up as a burly man slid into the bench opposite from him. "I am sorry, I am late. I was delayed." The newcomer was obviously a soldier, though he was dressed in plain, loose clothing and a cloak that helped him blend in with plebian clientele of the bar. "Are you certain you can do it?"

"Yes," the hooded man answered. "What, you think I would be sitting in this miserable shit bar if I was going to fool with you? I had the walls thoroughly mapped when I was king." The little man hissed angrily.

"And how many can you bring in?"

The smaller man paused to think, again readjusting his hood. "I can bring at least 10 men, maybe twenty if they are quick and small. The passage under the wall is cramped, and if we have to wait for some idiot who got jammed, then Arturia's forces will surely catch us."

"Hmm," nodded the soldier as the smaller man babbled nervously.

"But the deal is I get to kill Arturia, and a quarter of the kingdom as my Fiefdom."

"About that…" the disguised soldier rumbled.

"Don't yank me around, you Pictish dog," the hooded man sneered, "The walls of Camelot are so heavily warded that your mistress' magic can't even leave a stain on them. We do this on my terms or we don't do it at all."

-*FSN*-*FSN-*-FSN-

"Bathhouse?" Brian snorted. "What are you, a woman?"

"I have been invited to the feast tonight, and I want to make a good impression," Shiro argued. The pair was at the inn, right after the lunch crowd, which was never very large.

"Don't worry about it," Brian waved Shiro's concerns away, "you're a commoner, like the rest of us."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Shiro asked. "Do you mean that less is expected of us?"

Brian rolled his eyes. "No, I mean that you aren't going to make a good impression, no matter what you smell like, or how many trolls you slay," he paused in thought. "Well, except with Sir Bedivere maybe."

"I have spoken with him," Shiro nodded, " and he doesn't seem to care that I am not a noble."

"That," Brian agreed, "and there are rumors that he likes young men." Shiro reddened as he quickly ran over his interactions with the knight over in his head.

"God, I hope not. It would be a shame if the only reason he's been friendly with me is because of that."

"Mmm. I heard this from the seneschal - he follows the new faith - and he is repulsed by it. He even called Sir Bedivere a sexual deviant, but never to his face, of course. He wouldn't get away with that." It wasn't clear what Brian's own opinion on the matter was.

"Are you looking for a bath house?" One of the newly arrived men called "There's one in the old roman quarter. It's where all the Iberian merchants live nowadays."

"Thank you." Shiro grabbed the money he had earned doing chores and took off.

-*FSN*-*FSN-*-FSN-

"No, there's nothing," Sakura shook her head. The magical energies that she had collected slowly dissipated, and the natural afternoon light returned to the room.

"Goddamnit!" Rin swore and threw herself down on her sister's bed. Both girls where at the Tohsaka mansion. Sakura had just finished a tracing spell, in an attempt to locate Shiro.

"Are you certain that the hair is fresh? It has to be to maintain a good connection," Sakura said as she put the item that had been the focus of the spell back in the envelope.

"Yes, yes," Rin replied. "I cast the spell myself three times. The last time I did it in his bedroom. And I got the same thing: a whole lot of nothing." She curled up in a ball, hugging a pillow to her chest. She sounded scared, which was very unusual for the young mage.

"Rin, if Shiro was d-d-dead, then the spell would have found his body, so he must have been taken somewhere. He's probably ok he can take care of himself," Sakura tried to reassure her sister.

The two had been slowly repairing their relationship, and Sakura was living with Rin. She had insisted that the Matou's mansion was a rotten, poisonous place magically speaking, but there was still an emotional distance between them. As a result Sakura was at a loss as to what to do. Rin was usually so put together and it was. It was Sakura that needed the emotional support most of the time. Tentatively the violet haired girl sat down on the edge of the bed and put her hand on Rin's shoulder

"We'll find him and rescue him. After all, it's his turn to be saved." Sakura gave a small smile. "If it hadn't been for him... You know, he was the only thing that kept me from killing myself when I was a Matou. What THAT monster did to me... Shiro was the only bright spot in my world. He kept me from going crazy. And then you and him took me away from that nightmare." She blinked and refocused on the present. "You see, I owe him my life, so we HAVE TO find him."

Rin smiled at her sister's convoluted logic, "Yeah, he saved me too. That idiot really has a saving people thing."

"Well, he always wanted to be a hero. Not many people succeed in their life goals. Not even if they lived a long time."

"Yeah," Rin paused, then hugged her pillow closer to her chest, "I was a real bitch. I mean, I was supposed to be the Guardian of this city, and I was getting ready to participate in the Holy Grail War. I knew I would have to kill people, maybe even innocents, to win, to get more power. And I agreed with that. Looking back, I can't believe what I did. I was on my way to become just like Caster. Killing people for my power own gain."

Sakura rubbed her sister's back, trying to provide emotional support as the older girl curled in on herself even further.

"And then that idiot arrived," Rin continued, "with his idealism, always seeing the best in people. With his utter conviction he was like a knight out of some legend, off to slay the monster and rescue everybody. After fighting at his side, he really made me see what really was important." She smiled. "After all, he was so busy helping everybody else that he needed somebody to take care of HIM. And I guess helping people really is habit forming."

"You really love him, don't you?" Sakura whispered.

"No, it's not like that," Rin exhaled quickly. "We- we decided that we wouldn't date, since I was going to London and he's such a homeboy." There was a pause and Rin rolled onto her back "Ok, maybe it is like that." She gave a weak smile, "I'm sorry"

"It's ok." Sakura smiled back. Her crush on her Senpai had faded into a strong friendship as they grew in different directions. Shiro was a great guy if you needed rescuing, or help with chores, but he was completely inept at being quietly nurturing and supportive.

"So what do we do now?" Rin asked, seeking directions from someone else for a change.

"Well, first we find Shiro, then you propose marriage to him. That way he will have to go with you to London."

"What!" Rin sputtered, "We're not, I mean that's not..."

Sakura giggled as Rin's face turned bright red.

"Argh!" The older gilr grabbed a pillow and whacked her sister who just kept laughing under the assault.

-*FSN*-*FSN-*-FSN-

It was late afternoon as Shiro walked through Camelot keep, looking for the great hall. The bathhouse had taken a little work to find, but the Ben-Nechamia family who owned it let him use it free of charge, as thanks for clearing out the troll. So he still had enough money to buy himself a new shirt.

Now, however, he was lost. All of his efforts would go to waste. He could ask for directions, but this was a castle! How hard could it be to find the main hall in one little castle? He would look like a dork if he did.

"Somebody has gone to a lot of effort to pretty himself up," came a bemused voice. "First time at the kings table?"

Shiro turned to see a young blond man dressed in fine clothes, with gold thread woven through out. He was startled by the man's resemblance to Gilgamesh.

"Uhm, I apologize but I do not know your name," Shiro said cautiously, eying the other man.

"Truly? Why, what a novelty. I am Sir Lancelot Du Lac, Champion of Camelot." He swept a deep bow.

"I am Shiro Emiya, I was invited by Sir Bedivere." Shiro returned the bow as he quickly went through the Arthurian legends in his head '_Right, he's a friend of Arturia's'._ "Uhm, could you tell me where I should go?"

"Ah, you are the boy that slew the troll. The festivities will be in the great hall, but you are early, so nobody except the servants will be there. Come with me, and I can show you around the keep."

Lancelot, despite his somewhat sarcastic and cynical outlook, was good company. As they walked around the keep, he intermixed descriptions of the castle defenses with humorous, and sometimes ribald anecdotes. "The walls here are only four feet thick, but any attacker would be hard pressed to bring a catapult to bear from this side because of the steep drop in the land outside." Lancelot explained, "And this tower is called the Maiden-head. It's common practice among the stable boys to take scullery maids up here to, ah, 'look at the stars'. Some thoughtful soul even left a pile of blankets up there." Lancelot paused, pointing at a torch right at the bottom of the stairs. "But do check that to see if the torch is missing. If it is, you will have to find some other place to, ah, 'take your maid', as the tower is in use." Another pause. "Once, Sir Galahad went up there. I'm not certain as to why - that boy never did figure out what girls are for. He came down spluttering and babbling. But he didn't tell who he saw up there. You have to give credit where credit is due, though: the boy was simple, but at least he was discreet."

After a circuit of the castle, the knight pronounced, "I will have to leave you in Sir Owen's capable hands, as I have to speak to my Lady Guinevere before the feast." He bowed and departed, leaving Shiro standing next to the elderly seneschal.

As Shiro opened his mouth to ask... something, Sir Owen interrupted. "Come, the feasting will start soon. I will walk with you to the Great hall."

As the two entered, the Herald posted at the entryway quietly asked Shiro's name. He then loudly called out, "His lordship, High seneschal of Castle Camelot, Order of the Rose, Hero of Blanfort, Sir Owen, and accompanying him, Shiro Emiya, slayer of the Troll Under the Bridge."

Shiro was startled. '_He got my name right_.'

But Sir Own didn't give the young man time to think, as he lead the him up to the king's table. Most of the tables where regular rectangular tables, like at the inn, with benches for people to sit on, but at one end of the room was a round table set on a daze. Arturia sat at it, facing the rest of the room. The two seat on either side of were still empty. Sir Owen took one of the seats. Shiro stood in confusion for a moment before turning towards the other empty seat.

"Not there. Here!" Hissed Bedivere, pulling Shiro down to the seat next to him, on sir Owens other side. "That's for the guest of honor, Sir Lancelot."

"Oh," Shiro looked chagrined at his almost-faux pas.

Soon, all the guests had made their way to the tables, and the din of conversation filled the room, softened by the sound of the stringed instruments that several musicians played as they wandered the hall. The food was simple, but plentiful - roasted meats, bread and more meat.

Shiro looked aghast at the whole pig that was put out on the table as the poultry course was cleared off the table. "Is there much more?" Shiro whispered to Sir Bedivere, "If I eat another bite, I will burst."

Sir Bedivere nodded in sympathy, "It's a feast. There is always too much food. But not to worry, what we don't finish will be brought out for the peasants."

"Artu- The king isn't eating. Is she ok?" Shiro asked. He had sneaked a few peeks at Arturia, and had noticed that she was very quiet and withdrawn. Though he could only tell because he had lived and fought with Saber.

Sir Bedivere quirked an eyebrow at the fact that apparently Shiro had been watching the woman King. "The rich food disagrees with her," he answered, '_and possibly the rich company,'_ he glanced pointedly at Lancelot.

"Shiramya, I have been remiss in offering you congratulations on your victory over the troll," Sir Lancelot stood up and raised his goblet. "I would like to propose a toast to Shiramya!"

"To Shiramya!" chorused the crowd, raising their wine in Shiro's honor.

Once the roaring quieted some, Arturia leaned over "Shiro, I am puzzled why you risked your life to fight a troll. You are not even a Briton."

Shiro shrugged, somewhat embarrassed to be put on the spot. "Well, it seemed like the right thing to do. I mean, people were talking about the troll, and how it was killing people, and how it was messing up the countryside. And there wasn't anybody else who could help them."

"So you went out to challenge it because nobody else could protect the people." Asked Arturia, bemused.

"Yes, I guess that's all there is to it," Shiro smiled. "I didn't want anybody to get hurt."

"Spoken like a true Knight!" Lancelot applauded. Shiro noticed that whenever Lancelot spoke, Arturia drew a little further away. Which was a problem, as the blond knight was definitely the life of the party, telling stories and joking with Guinevere, who sat next to him.

'_She's not acting very kingly. I thought Arturia would be more in charge,'_ he puzzled as he pretended to eat more roasted something or other. He had long ago lost track of which overcooked, greasy meat was which.

"So when is the wedding?" slurred somebody, obviously with a fair bit of ale in them.

Lancelot laughed good naturedly, "We will let you know." Guinevere looked up at him and smiled. Arturia stood up abruptly and left the table. Such was the attention that was being given to Lancelot, that nobody noticed.

Shiro stood up as well, but nobody else did. '_I thought that people were supposed to stand whenever the king stood? Well, I guess fantasy books are just that'._ As Shiro sat back down, he exchanged glances with Sir Bedivere. The knight had a concerned look on his face as he glanced towards the door where Arturia had left through. "Uhm, is everything ok?" Shiro whispered in his ear.

Sir Bedivere gave Shiro a searching look. "No, no its not. The king has not been herself since the battle of Camlann. I am concerned that she is under some foul working."

"A what?"

"A magic spell. Arturia has always been reserved, but she is more than that now. She's acting like she's not even here!" The knight sighed. "I worry about her." He looked torn as to what to do.

Shiro looked back at his plate as he pondered. Then he too abruptly stood up, "I'll go check up on her."

"Thank you," Sir Bedivere replied. "She's probably walking the castle walls."

Shiro went out the same door as Arturia, and made his way as best he could remember to the walls around the keep. It wasn't as hard as he thought it would be. It was almost as if something was guiding him. '_Thank goodness she didn't go up into the lovers tower. That would have been awkward.'_ Shiro climbed up to the catwalk that ran along the inside of the castle wall and then made his way to where Arturia leaned between two crenellations, looking out across the darkling plain.

"Hi," he greeted casually out of habit.

Arturia didn't reply at first, apparently unfazed by his familiarity. "Are you worried that I might need protection?" She asked without looking at him.

"Uhm," Shiro was caught off guard, "Yeah, sort of. I guess. You haven't been acting like yourself all night, and then you ran off like that. It made me worried."

At this Arturia did turn, a puzzled look on her face. "Do you always worry about strangers like that?"

"Uhm, sometimes," Shiro was finding himself unusually tongue-tied. He never had trouble talking to anybody. People are people after all, whether they are under-classmen in school, or heroes out of legend. "I guess I always like to help. My friends tease me about it a bit."

"Well, that is a rare trait," she smirked, "and one that should be valued."

"Friends that teases you?" Asked the flustered Shiro.

Arturia guffawed. She quickly smothered the laugh, but she couldn't stop it. Soon her whole body was shaking with mirth, and she had to sit down for fear of falling off the wall. "Oh, god that... I haven't laughed like that in a long time."

"If only all people could be helped as easily," smiled Shiro.

Arturia sighed and got back to her feet. "Do you ever feel that no matter what you do, nothing ever gets better?" She asked, looking out over the countryside again.

Shiro stood next to her. "I once had a... friend who said something similar. He said that he spent his whole life fighting to help people, but he never saw the good he did. Just all the people he had to kill to do it," Shiro thought for a moment. "He taught me to concentrate on helping those that I can, and not to try to do too much." He paused again. "Maybe if you scaled back, and didn't try to do as much, you would be able to see the good that you do."

Arturia shook her head. "I am the king. I must take care of all of my kingdom. It is my duty."

"I am sorry if I offended you," Shiro quickly apologized.

Arturia glanced over at him, and a puzzled look came across her brows. "No, you do not. I find myself very comfortable talking to you. Why is that?"

"I'm a good listener?" Shiro asked back, not certain of what Arturia was asking.

"No, it is more like… that I can sense you have no ill intentions. So even when you say rude things, I am not angered."

Shiro's eyes widened, realizing that he must have said or done something offensive at some point. Perhaps even more than once. "I'm sorry." He bowed deeply to Arturia.

Arturia turned towards the young man and smiled. "You Danes don't have a king, do you? You don't have a clue as to how to act with royalty." Before Shiro could reply, she turned the other way and said. "Come, let us go down to the field and spar."

"Ok?" Shiro was confused again. '_Did I offend her and she wants to beat me up? Or is she like Taiga, where whacking people with a shinai is a normal part of a conversation?'_

The training yard that Arturia took him to was dimly lit by a pair of torches. "I have heard that you are a mage as well. Could you provide us with more light?'

Shiro thought for a moment and nodded. "I am not very good at most magic, but fire magic is one of the two kinds that I have some skill at. I can make a... uh..," he considered how to best describe the effect, "a fire that casts light but no heat". He pronounced the incantation, placing two glowing balls of light hovering 20 feet apart.

"Impressive," Arturia nodded as she looked intently at what Shiro was doing, "You said you excel at two kinds of magic. What is the other?"

"Swords."

"Show me." Arturia demanded intently.

Shiro turned to face a wooden post that had a sack of straw tied to it - a practice target of some sort. He pulled both arms back. Just as they reached their apex, Kanshou and Bakuya appeared. Shiro whipped his hands forward, throwing the swords. As soon as the twin blades left his hands, another pair appeared, which he brought to a guard position as the first two struck the target.

Arturia's eyes widened. "That is a useful skill for a warrior. But we will use wooden swords for the spar, for safety's sake."

Shiro nodded, and let the swords disappear, to be instantly replaced by a pair of broken.

Arturia paused. "Can you make any sword you wish?"

"No, I can only recreate swords that I have seen with my own eyes. The more closely I have examined it, the better I can make it." Shiro debated calling forth Caliburn, but he was nervous about how Arturia would react to the revelations that would have to come with it.

Arturia picked up a wooden practice sword and took a solid stance. "Attack."

Shiro took a moment to use reinforcement to give himself added strength and speed before approaching '_Let's hope she doesn't thrash me too badly. That would be embarrassing.'_

After several passes, Shiro was surprised at how well he was doing. Arturia was far and away more skilled than him, but he was faster and stronger '_That's right, she's not a Servant, powered by centuries of legend. She only has human abilities.'_

Still, those human abilities were enough so that Shiro could barely hold his own. If he wasn't so familiar with Saber's fighting style he would have been knocked flat on his rear in the first few moments. As it was, it was only a matter of time before Arturia got the hang of his own style, or lack thereof, and finished him off.

So it was a great surprise when Shiro somehow managed to disarm Arturia. He stopped, not certain what to do next. He stepped back to allow the woman king to pick up her sword.

Arturia picked up the weapon as Shiro stood back in guard position before sheathing it. "You are very fast. And honorable, as well. You protect the weak. You are also courteous and humble. More so than most of the knights that it has been privilege to know. You will make a fine knight."

"Thank you" Shiro realized that this was not just a conversation anymore, so he appended, "Your Majesty".

"If you will consent to serve me, I will knight you as Sir Shiramya, lord of Dunwath"

Shiro bowed "Thank you. I am deeply honored."

"But that will have to wait for tomorrow, when we can do it properly," Arturia smiled, "let us return to the feast, before my subjects wonder where I have absconded to."

As the two walked back to the dining hall, Shiro embarrassedly interjected, "Hm, Arturia, your majesty? My name is actually Shiro. Emiya is my family name"

Arturia snorted, "Disrespectful as ever." She smiled in amusement. "Very well, We will knight you as Sir Shiro, of the Emiyas." They were just outside the dining hall when Arturia added. "Most people, if their king had knighted them as 'sir Stands-on-head' would have changed their name to 'Stands-on-head'". She entered, leaving a stunned Shiro to follow a few moments later.

-*FSN*-*FSN-*-FSN-

"Your Majesty, is there any word that you would like to send back to the Leicester garrison?" Sir Owen stood before his king in the throne room.

"Not at this time. We will have to consider what course of action to take," Arturia replied sternly.

Sir Bedivere, who had taken the role of Chief advisor since the battle of Camlann, bent forwards to whisper to Arturia, "This is the second report we have of odd goings on from the Witch Queen's lands. If she is massing an army, we would be well advised to find out, so that we can muster as well."

"I will consider it," Arturia nodded. Camelot had fought Morgana le Fey's Pictish tribesmen before, and except for a handful of her bodyguards, they were an untrained, poorly organized rabble. "But I do not feel that it is a pressing issue," she added.

-*FSN*-*FSN-*-FSN-

"Ok, how does this look?" Rin plopped down into a chair next to Sakura and stuck a thick tome under nose. Sakura looked up from her book of potion theory to see what Rin was up to.

"Uhm, this is pretty complicated. Is it important? I was hoping to finalize this energy potion," Sakura had decided to walk a middle ground between being a Tohsaka and being herself, by developing a way to store magical power inside potions rather than inside crystals. After all, making potions was just cooking.

"Yes, this is a self powered expanding tracing aria. It should find Shiro, wherever he is." Rin replied proudly, "Though it may take a while, if he's on the opposite side of the world."

"Won't that take a lot of power?" Sakura tried to keep her skepticism from showing.

"That's why it's self powered. It will draw on the ley lines."

Sakura flipped through the pages of Aria and even more pages of notes, "Are you certain you didn't make any mistakes? With such a long Aria, even a small mistake could have catastrophic results."

"I know, that's why I am having you check it over. As soon as you tell me it looks good, I'll cast it."

"Uhm, ok, nee-san" Sakura quailed inside at the daunting task, but at the same time, there was a small flicker of pride that her older sister - her older, much more talented, sister - trusted her enough to have her check over her spell. A spell that could kill her if it went wrong. The anxiety won over the pride as Sakura ducked her head. "Thank you for trusting me."

-*FSN*-*FSN*-*FSN*-

Shiro was just organizing his meager possessions in his new room in the castle when there was a knock at the door, "Sir Shiro," A young page poked his head around the half closed door, "his majesty want to see you down in the practice yard!"

Shiro sighed. He had moved in to the castle just yesterday, and he had already sparred with Arturia twice. Not that he really minded, but it was kind of weird. Didn't she have official kingly business to carry out?

But it turns out that he was wrong, at least in part: When Shiro arrived at the practice yard, he found Arturia accompanied by a large man in rough cloths and a heavy leather apron. Spread at his feet was a cloth was a pile of armor carefully set out on it.

"Ah, you must be Sir Shiro! I am master blacksmith Oliver." He spoke with an odd accent, and Shiro realized with some surprise that it wasn't that Oliver was coated in soot, but his skin was a darker shade then everybody else he had seen so far in Britain. "Well, try this on, and we will see if it is a good fit."

'_Oh, the armor. I forgot about Arturia's offer,'_ Shiro remembered with embarrassment. With the help of a page who had appeared almost from thin air, he managed to struggle into the protective outfit. He then staggered around in it. It wasn't a bad fit per se, but Shiro had become used to fighting without any encumberment. Finally, after several minutes, Shiro couldn't stop himself. "Your majesty, thank you very much for this fine armor, but I... You know that I have some small talent at magic?"

"Yes, that is something I wish to talk to you about," Arturia said, puzzled at the direction that this was taking.

Shiro made his way painfully over to the cloth that the armor had been carried in and picked it, carefully reinforcing it to the point it was so over-filled with Prana that it would fall apart on its own in a few days. "Your majesty, try to cut it."

Arturia frowned before taking out a knife and pushing it into the cloth. Nothing happened.

The cloth didn't even deform. It was as rigid as steel. Frowning even more, Arturia drew Excalibur, and holding the cloth with one hand, she stabbed the cloth. Nothing. She leaned the sheet of cloth against a pole, and drawing her sword back, swung with full force. The cloth was torn from the pole and went flying across the yard. When the incredulous page brought it back, the cloth was deeply gouged, but still in one piece.

"And I can do the same for whatever cloths I am wearing, your majesty. I don't need armor, and I fight better without it."

Arturia looked up, anger on her features, "Then why did you not inform us of this earlier? I wasted the Master Smith's time for no good reason!"

"Um" Shiro paused in untying the armor, "You sounded like you really wanted me to have the armor, and didn't you inform me that a good subject never disagrees with his king?" He replied, trying his best to look innocent.

Arturia continued to scowl for a moment before a small chuckle escaped her. Shiro smiled at that.

"You make me laugh, sir Shiro," Arturia smiled as the red headed man got out of the last of the armor. "Come, lets spar."

Shiro nodded and conjured a bokken as he prepared to be thrashed again. He hadn't won any of the spars after the first.

-*FSN*-*FSN-*-FSN-

As Shiro lay slumped against one of the walls, panting, Arturia handed him a cup of water. "You fight very well. Whoever trained you must have been very talented. But you shouldn't leave yourself open so much."

"Thank you, Your Majesty," Shiro smiled. "My teacher said the same thing, but that is the only advantage that I have in a fight, that I don't fear injury. So I can draw my enemy in with fake openings."

Arturia shook her head and scowled. "One of those time, you won't be fast enough. It is a very dangerous way to fight."

Shiro decided to change the topic to something safer. "I have always enjoyed sparring with you. But I am surprised that you have the free time for it."

Arturia took some water for herself before sitting down next to Shiro, "You would be surprised, Shiro. In peace time, there is not so much that a king needs do," A stab of guilt shot through Arturia, as she considered that that wasn't quite the truth, "and I quite enjoy your company."

She leaned back against the wall and closed her eyes. "Odd as it may seem, I find that I am the most at peace in your company. I have always had a difficult time making a connection to other people. Even though I have led men into battle, I felt like I didn't really know what was going on inside their hearts. But with you, there is none of that. I feel that I can be myself with you. You are as familiar as Excalibur and Avalon."

Shiro didn't know how to reply to that, so the two continued to sit quietly until Arturia stood up abruptly and excused herself.

-*FSN*-*FSN-*-FSN-

"My lord, what are we to do?" Sir Owen stood before Sir Lancelot, wringing his hands. "The king refuses to act, but if the Witch Queen is preparing for war, we need to get ready." It was left unsaid that in the poor state in which Camelot was, it would have taken all their resources to repel the Witch Queen's rabble.

Lancelot sighed."I believe that our king intends to let them to lay siege to Camelot. It is not a bad strategy, as we lack the men to smash them decisively in the field."

"But our stores are depleted, and the king has not asked me to lay in more supplies. Morgana's rabble may not enter Camelot, but we will surely starve."

Lancelot nodded, "Bring me a list of what you think we should need to withstand a siege, and I will see what I can do."

"Thank, your lordship" Sir Owen beamed with relief.

-*FSN*-*FSN-*-FSN-

"What I don't understand is why you are breaking your back helping to replace the oven. You're a knight. You should act like one." Eadwig shook his massive head in confusion.

"Don't you go bothering sir Shiro!" Caitlin brandished a serving spoon at the large man. "Can't you see he is hard at work?" The last word was pronounced rather pointedly, seeing as Eadwig was running up a tab. Again.

"I don't mind," Shiro commented as he held a massive slab of stone in place while a mason finished bracing it against the wall. "I feel this is the least I can do to repay your generosity when I first arrived in Camelot."

"Hmm" Caitlin hummed, as she watched Shiro's back. Literally. "I mean, there really is no need - you paid your rent fair and square. Unlike some." She turned to look at Eadwig, who was slumped at one of the tables, a mug of heavily watered ale in his hand.

"I'll pay my tab as soon as the king calls up the men at arms again. But I can't earn no money if I don't have anybody to hire me."

"You aren't even looking! Even that skirt chaser Brian is out trying to find something to fill his time. All you do is EAT."

"And drink. Don't forget drink."

"Oh, trust me, I haven't."

Eadwig sighed as he looked mournfully into his mug, "Hey, Shiro, do you want to see if any of the other inns will offer un-watered ale for some stories of your heroism?"

"DON'T. YOU. DARE. INTERRUPT!" Caitlin menaced the big man.

"It's ok, Caitlin, I'm not going anywhere until I finish." Shiro smiled.

"I think Caitlin is just jealous of how you're spending all your time with our girly king.

Both Caitlin and Shiro blushed, though for very different reasons. "Don't be absurd. It's all just professional!" They both protested.

Eadwig quirked an eyebrow. "So, you ARE spending all day practicing your 'sword work' with her."

"Uhm, yeah?" Shiro replied, feeling that he was missing something.

At the same time, Caitlin pointed at the door. "OUT! NOW!"

Eadwig smirked. "I think I'll try my luck at the other inns. I think I can earn me a few ales with this story."

-*FSN*-*FSN-*-FSN-

"Arturia, the court is starting to talk." Sir Bedivere was sitting at a small table, sharing a glass of wine with Arturia in her quarters.

"About what?" Arturia asked, her attention elsewhere.

"About how you spend all your time with Sir Shiro instead of at court," Bedivere sighed, "I personally think it is wonderful that you have fallen in love with him. He is a good man, but you can't neglect your duties at this time. There are already rumors floating around that you are not a fit king."

"I am not courting Sir Shiro," Arturia replied vehemently, "he is just the only warrior that I have met in a long time who can match me in combat. It is enjoyable to spar with an equal. And there have always been rumors."

"Yes, your majesty, but now people are starting to act on them. Sir Owen is taking his orders from Lancelot now."

Arturia sighed and tilted her head back as if staring up at the sky at the mention of the OTHER man who was a match for her in combat. "Fine, I will talk to Sir Owen."

"Thank your majesty." Bedivere smirked, "And maybe you should ask Shiro up for a drink, instead of a spar, next time you want his company."

"Why don't YOU ask him up for a drink!" Arturia snapped.

The blood drained from Bedivere's face and he barely stopped himself from slapping the king. Instead he pivoted on his feet and stalked out of the room.

Arturia put her face in her hands. '_I can't do anything right. Now I have gone and insulted my closest friend.'_ Arturia stood up, and quickly followed Bedivere out the door '_I better go apologize to her.'_

-*FSN*-*FSN-*-FSN-

Arturia stalked through the keep, looking for Bedivere when sir Yvain ran up. He was covered in dust, and appeared to have just come from a hard ride, "Your majesty, the Witch Queen is approaching Leicester! And she has a dragon with her."

END

And a thank you to Neoalfa for Beta'ing


	4. Chapter 4

Here is chapter 4. I expect this story will have 5 chapters, and possibly an epilogue.

Start

"We can not wait for Morgana to approach Camelot - her dragon will depredate the whole countryside between here and Leicester." Arturia pronounced. She was standing, leaning over a map of the countryside that lay on the table. "We will have to muster the men at arms and meet the Witch Queen as far away as possible."

"But the men at arms will be massacred by the dragon." Protested sir Yvain.

Arturia nodded to acknowledge the comment, "The main army will face off with the Witch Queen's force. But they will hold back, and let us fight the dragon. Once that is slain, they will be able to route the Picts."

The Picts were fierce warriors, but disorganized, and their numbers had dwindled since Roman time, when they had been a serious threat. If it wasn't for Morgana La Fey, they most likely would not dare to attack Camelot.

Sir Yvain continued to look skeptical. "Six against a dragon, your majesty? And we do not know what else that Witch will do? I would gladly give my life for Camelot, but I wish to do so when there is a hope of victory. I would feel more confident if we had a wizard at our side"

Arturia turned to the newest knight, "Sir Shiro? What say you?"

Shiro sighed _I am in way over my head_ "Uhm, I doubt I will be able to stop a skilled magus, but I will be able to sense her spells." Shiro rubbed a hand through his hair, "Thing is, most spells that could affect the entire army take a lot of time to cast. That is, as long as she doesn't have the opportunity to prepare the battlefield before hand. So I think I will be able to provide enough warning for us to get out of the way or block the spell. And I should be able to block any directed spells" Shiro realized he was rambling nervously.

Lancelot nodded, "So it will be five against the dragon, with Sir Shiro protecting the army from magical mischief."

"It will take a week to call up the men at arms - We have enough food and supplies on hand," Sir Owen nodded to Lancelot, "But the men have dispersed, and it will take that long for them to gather."

"Very well, make it so!" Arturia looked more energized than Shiro had seen her since this whole screwed-up adventure had begun. _I guess she is a warrior through and through._

The rest of the hour was spent discussing the details, and Shiro, not having anything to contribute, spent the time in his own head, worrying. _I don't remember anything about a dragon in the Arthurian legends. Did I mess something up already? Or maybe the dragon story got mixed up with some other hero? Gods, I wish Rin was here. She would know._ Shiro smirked, _Of course, if she was here, she would have figured out a way home long ago._ Shiro looked up as Arturia commanded her knights. She looked as beautiful as ever. Not just physically - that was obvious to anybody who wasn't blind. But her passion and determination. That was what Shiro loved about her.

_Do I want to go home?_ Shiro's thoughts drifted to what was waiting for him back in Fuyuki city. _It's a good life. But all my friends are going to leave at the end of the summer, except for Sakura_ The though of the younger girl scared Shiro - she had so much emotional baggage, and he had no clue how to deal with it.

_Here, I can help. People accept me for who I am - I don't have to hide the fact that I am a magus. And there is Arturia._

Somebody poked him in the shoulder "Wha?"

"I asked if there were any supplies that you require - magic herbs or ritual implements." Sir Owen was talking, " Merlin always used a lot of that sort of thing. I used to buy herbs for him, and I think there may still be a stock of them."

"No, I don't use that." Shiro shook his head _Most modern magus' don't use that much in the way of props. Maybe back then, erg, now, spell casters needed them more? Because the art wasn't as advanced?_

Shiro sat up straighter, "Did Merlin take everything with him when he left?" Shiro had assumed that he had, but he had never asked...

"Nobody has dared go into his quarters, so we don't know." Arturia replied, "You have my permission to enter, but I must accompany you."

"Ok, great. Thank you!" Shiro beamed It's not Merlin, but if he left some of his books behind, it will be the next best thing.

-*FSN*-*FSN-*-FSN-

It wasn't until the afternoon two days later that Arturia had time to accompany Shiro up to Merlin's tower.

"Yeah, there's a ward on the door." Shiro was crouching down and peering at the keyhole, "It's a good thing nobody tried to open this door. I am not certain what the ward does, but it's pretty complex." The ward was insanely complicated.

"Can you dispel it?" Arturia was standing a few paces behind the young Magus, giving him room to work.

"Uh, I don't even have any idea what it does. All I can tell, is that it is controlled by the key" Shiro pointed at the keyhole, "All the magic ties into there, so I figure that Merlin created an enscrolled key that would let him open both the lock and the ward at the same time... Hmm... maybe..." Shiro drifted into thought.

Arturia stood patiently, not rushing him.

"Trace on." Shiro concentrated on the keyhole, tracing it to its deepest level, and then working backwards to Project the key that would fill it. It was delicate work, and there were a couple of spots where he had to guess how the magic all fit together.

"Well, here goes nothing," Shiro held up a large key and then calmly inserted it into the keyhole and turned. Nothing happened. Shiro released a breath he hadn't realized he had been holding.

Shiro gave the door a small push, and it swung inwards without a creak. Arturia nodded, impressed.

"If you don't mind, I'll go first" Shiro carefully edged into the room. The room had an unmade bed in one corner, a worktable full of all sorts of stuff, and a book case. The book case still had a half dozen tomes on it.

"Look at that!"

"What?" Arturia stepped in.

"No, I mean I half expected that the room would be empty."

"Merlin did leave in a hurry, and there is only so much one man can carry."

Shiro nodded and made a circuit of the room, examining its contents. Like Sir Owen had said, the work table was full of jars of herbs, and ... things. Some of them looked like dried animal parts _Primitive_.

As Shiro walked past the bed, something odd caught his eye. He bent over and picked up a package that had been peaking out from under the edge of the bed.

_Condoms?_ Shiro's mind ground to a halt as he looked at the strip of plastic packages, clearly labeled in English, with an expiration date of 2/11. As the ramifications scrolled through Shiro's brain, he noticed that several packages had been opened.

"What is that?" Arturia leaned over his shoulder to get a better look, brushing up against his shoulder.

"Erm, ah, nothing!" Shiro yelped and stood up quickly, slipping the package into his pocket before Arturia could get a better look at it. "I best take a look at the books!"

Shiro quickly made his way to the bookcase. He had just enough presence of mind to scan it for wards before grabbing a book. He grabbed one at random and flipped it open to the middle.

It made no sense. Shiro could read English, but he couldn't make heads or tails of this book. It took him a few moments to gather up his wits, and for his heart beat to return to normal, at which point, he realized it was written in a foreign language. He took another book, and found the same thing.

"Erg. I can't read this!" Shiro burst out in exasperation, "In my time, most magical texts are in English!"

"And this is not in English?" Arturia asked in curiosity.

"No, it's probably Latin." Shiro replied. Then paused abruptly, "Wait - you can't read?"

Arturia smiled at Shiro's confusion, "I can read. Merlin taught me. I can even read Latin."

Before she could say another word, Shiro grabbed a book and opened it to the first page, "Can you translate the title?"

Arturia smiled at Shiro's enthusiasm, "Shiro, I can't see anything written on the page - only a wizard can read them. Merlin has shown me his books before, and they all appear to be blank." She glanced at the book in confusion, "Though, now... I can see something out of the corner of my eye. When I look straight at it, the page is still blank," Arturia turned her head away from the book slightly, "But now I can see that there is writing there! Maybe the spell that Merlin placed on the book is fading?"

_Or maybe.._ Shiro started, remembering how Rin had transplanted some of his magical Circuits into Saber. But then he shook his head as if to clear it _But that hasn't happened yet!_

Arturia took the book and maneuvered it around at the edge of her vision for a minute, "This one is labeled 'Principa Herbatica'" She frowned, peering at the book sideways "That's not good Latin." She leafed through a couple more pages, cocking her head at a funny angle, "I think it's a guide book to plants."

Shiro watched the woman king perform the contortions with a smile on his face.

"What?" Demanded Arturia when she caught sight of Shiro's smile.

"Nothing," Shiro replied with a quick shrug, "I just like watching you," Before Arturia could say anything, "Thank you for finding the time to come up here with me, what with the preparations for war."

"War is mostly waiting. All the supplies are ready, we are just waiting for the men to arrive. And there is nothing I can do to speed that along." She replied with a shrug, though her cheeks colored slightly.

"In that case, come with me into town."

"What? Why?"

"You said it yourself - there is nothing for you to do, except to worry and stress. Besides, it will be fun." Shiro smiled.

"I can't! I am the king - everybody will know me, and we won't be able to go anywhere - I will be besieged by requests and courtiers." Arturia replied in a panic.

Shiro bent down and scooped a handful of ash from the fireplace and pronounced the Aria that he had been working on with Rin, ending it with his own addition:

"Black as Pitch,

Long as Night"

Arturia's hair darkened to pitch black and slipped free from its pins to hang down her back. With her hair hanging loose like that, Arturia looked different, much less severe. "Look at your hair." He told the puzzled king.

Arturia glanced down with a startled exclamation.

"Now all you need do is borrow some clothes from one of your maids, and nobody will recognize you."

"Uhm, I mean..." Arturia was flustered. _This is very unexpected,_ her heart beat a staccato pattern in her chest. "Very well, but only for a couple of hours" She attempted to regain control of the situation.

"Great!" Shiro beamed, "I will meet you outside the side gate, so that we don't draw attention."

-*FSN*-*FSN-*-FSN-

Arturia walked out into the autumn afternoon, still not certain why she had agreed to come. She was dressed in a peasant dress that fit her well, though it was a little loose, especially in the chest. Not that she paid attention to such things.

"You look good." Shiro stood up from where he had been leaning against the wall.

"I feel very awkward."

Shiro nodded, "So what's your favorite place? Where do you want to go?"

Arturia paused before replying, "I never gave it much thought, but I really don't know the city of Camelot that well." She looked a trifle embarrassed.

Shiro smiled, "You always were too driven to go out and have a night on the town."

Arturia frowned in confusion as she realized that that was a statement, not a question. _Again, he is very familiar._

"I know duty is important to you, but if you don't relax sometimes, you won't do anybody any good." As the words left his mouth, a thought struck Shiro like a bolt of lighting _Is she burnt out? Is that why she's been so withdrawn?_

"Come on, let's walk down to the Roman quarter."

The two walked down to the old part of the city, with Shiro pointing out interesting sights.

Arturia was very self conscious at first, expecting to be mobbed by demanding citizens, but nobody spared her more than a glance or two. Soon, she found herself relaxing, and even pointing out quirky buildings and Roman statuary.

"Why did the Romans make all their statues look so serious?" Shiro stood next to a statue of some long forgotten Roman official and took up a posture that imitated it, "Or maybe they were just all constipated? That would explain why their empire collapsed - they were all on the toilet when the barbarians attacked."

Arturia broke into a fit of giggles so hard that she could barely stand. As Shiro stepped over to help her stay upright, she smacked him gently upside the head, "You are horrible."

"Well, it's not like anybody else takes the Romans too seriously either" He pointed to the statue, which was helping support the roof of a shed. "Come on, let's go get some dinner" Shiro took Arturia's hand and pulled her towards an inn.

It was a ramshackle building, and the common room was dank and dark. In retrospect, Shiro thought maybe he should have been more choosey, but Arturia didn't seem to mind, so they went in anyways.

As the two settled into a bench at an empty table, Arturia's eyes widened, "I forgot to bring money!" She whispered in embarrassment. She hated not being prepared, but it had been a very long time since she had to pay for anything herself.

"Don't worry - I can pay for both of us." As the waiter came up, he asked, "What have you got?"

"Stew" the waiter ground out, pointing to the pot on the fire.

"Ok, well have some of that" Shiro replied cheerfully.

"Ugh." The waiter grunted and walked off to get the bowls.

"Another war!" As the waiter was ladling out the stew, one of the patrons at the next table pounded his fist on the table, "He just got back, and the king is starting another fight. And for what? The streets are a mess, and food prices are up" His companion grumbled an assent.

Arturia looked uncomfortable, but nobody seemed to realize who she was. Shiro placed a hand on her shoulder, "People like to complain. It doesn't mean anything. Besides, they can't even get your gender right."

"I know," She sighed, "But it has been hard for the people, these past years. Sometimes, I wonder if somebody else might have done a better job.

"No, they would have simply made different mistakes. And probably more of them."

Arturia smiled at the young man, doing her best to tune out the conversation from the next table. Nevertheless, they finished their food quickly and left.

"I am sorry that those guys spoiled the outing," Shiro said as the pair made their way back towards the keep.

"No, it's ok. They didn't say anything I hadn't heard before," Arturia smiled at Shiro, and raised a hand to brush her hair aside _How long have I been holding his hand? _She promptly let go, with a touch of red coloring her cheeks. "We should head back" The idea did not please her.

"Yeah, we should"

The walk back was longer than going out. Maybe because it was all up hill.

-*FSN*-*FSN-*-FSN-

Shiro entered his room, a content smile on his face _That went well._

As he sat down on the bed to take his boots off, he noticed a small red gem lying on the pillow. _That's odd_ He reached out to pick it, and stopped abruptly _It has magic!_ He reached out with his magic senses to try to see if he could trace the gem. As he did, it burst apart in a flash of light, and he had a sudden pain in his head, knocking him to the floor.

"Here is the Latin" A thin, tinny voice echoed in his head. He barely heard it, but it sounded a lot like Rin.

When he gathered himself up, the gem was gone. _That was odd_ Shiro felt his head, but there was no injury, and the pain had faded.

-*FSN*-*FSN-*-FSN-

The army trudged. It was a cool fall day, and it would have been beautiful, except that today was the day they expected to meet the enemy.

"Stay in formation, men" Arturia bellowed, "The scouts report that we will meet the enemy near sunset. We will engage the enemy in a night battle. Your officers have their orders, please obey them. I don't need to remind you that during night fighting, discipline is critically important, as it is difficult to tell friend from foe."

Arturia turned to the small group of knights "we will ride a half league ahead of the army, and to the right. I expect Morgana will unleash her dragon as soon as she is in sight of our army. We will flank it and slay it before it can reach our men at arms."

"What if she doesn't?" This was from Sir Bors - a thick bodied man who tended to challenge everything Arturia said, almost on principal, as if to prove that his loyalty was to Lancelot.

"She will - she has no choice," replied Lancelot, "Our men at arms are better trained and better armed. If our two armies meet, her forces will be routed."

Arturia nodded, restraining her irritation at having her role usurped. "Shiro, you hang back with the men at arms. I give you full authority to command the troops to counter any magical attack."

Shiro nodded, doing his best to act professional. He hadn't had a chance to talk to Arturia alone since their date, so he wasn't certain where they stood, but Arturia gave no indication that that he was anything other than a knight of the round table.

"And Shiro, make sure that the men don't march too fast - we want to meet the dragon under the cover of night, if possible."

Shiro nodded again. They had discussed this earlier, and Bedivere had pointed out that since the dragon was such a big target, and they were so much smaller, that the cover of darkness would provide a greater advantage to them than to the dragon.

"Very well, Let us ride."

-*FSN*-*FSN-*-FSN-

Shiro watched the other knights ride out to take the lead. His stomach was in knots - he was now responsible for keeping the army safe. But it felt good as well. He slid to the ground - he didn't trust his horse, not with his limited riding skills.

He scanned his surroundings - it was rolling farmland, with some forest a half mile off to their left - the sort of place where a battle would be decided by skill and disciple rather than terrain. He was just about to give the order for the men at arms to resume their march when he saw something flicker in the twilight sky.

It was the Dragon!

"Dragon!" he yelled a warning as he traced his favorite Chinese broadswords.

The monster was huge, and it was flying at them - there was no way that the knights would be able to reach it as it swept over them!

Shiro dispelled the Chinese swords, and summoned up something more substantial - Durendal, the sword of Roland - and prepared to meet the dragon. The monster was huge - bigger than a semi-truck, and broad at the shoulders. It was nothing like the svelte, snake like dragons of China and Japan. He adjusted his grip on his sword and swallowed.

Waiting was hard.

As the great beast swept by the knights, Arturia called out "Invisible Air!" And with a sweep of her sword, released a bright blast of wind which buffeted the dragon, spilling air from its wings. As the creature smashed into the ground, the knights charged it.

Shiro lowered his sword in relief _Oh. She DID know what she was doing_ and watched the battle. It was hard to see what transpired in the gloom, but the knights appeared to be harrying the dragon, making quick attacks and then circling out of range.

Shiro dispelled Durendal and called up his bow. He called for Hrunting, and started the process of distorting it into a Broken Phantasm. There was a muttering from behind him - the men at arms were losing cohesion as they watched the awesome battle before them.

"Stay in formation, men. Remember what the king said - if the dragon breaks through, you will scatter by unit and try to encircle the dragon." The soldiers quieted down. As Shiro turned back to the battle before him, he smelled something - a rotting stink rose up from the ground - some sort of area effect spell. Shiro yelled, "NO, SCATTER NOW!"

The men were all experienced soldiers, and responded quickly. They darted out, creating a loose circle with nothing in the middle. A few who had been slow to respond staggered as if drunk.

A roar drew Shiro's attention back to the front - the dragon had somehow regained the air. It flapped heavily as it arched its neck and spat a stream of fire at the knights. Now it was the knight's turn to scatter. Somebody's horse went down in the gloom, and a knight tumbled to the ground.

"No, you don't" Yelled Shiro as the dragon turned towards the downed knight. He reinforced his eyes as he drew back his bow and aimed at the dragon. The range was a half mile - not a problem for Shiro with such a large target. He steadied the arrow for a moment to make sure it would fly true. Hrunting hummed with power. And then he released.

The Broken Hrunting flashed through the air, leaving a trail of light behind it as it leaked prana, and slammed into the dragon's side.

THUMM!

It flowered into a ball of fire and force, knocking the dragon back down to the ground. All the men looked up in surprise at the loud noise.

Arturia was the first to gather her wits, "The dragon!" She yelled and charged.

"The dragon!" replied the other knights as they also charged forward to finish off the wounded monster.

The fire breathing serpent was hard pressed to defend itself as the knights darted in to attack and back out faster than it could follow in its dazed state.

A roar went up - Shiro looked ahead: The Picts were charging! Arturia had said that they would wait for the dragon to finish before they attacked. But apparently Morgana La Fey hadn't gotten the memo. Shiro was at a loss as to what to do. In desperation, he called out, "Men, form up into formation. Prepare for battle!"

Fortunately, the men at arms were all veterans, so despite the confused order, they knew what to do. They gathered back together and prepared to meet the approaching hoard.

The knights saw the streaming Picts as well, and Arturia called out, "Fall back! Draw the dragon towards the Picts!" The knights wheeled their horses and turned to retreat. But the dragon chose that moment to charge. It thudded across the ground.

The dragon's gait was ungainly, but surprisingly fast. It caught one of the knights by surprise, snatching him from his horse with a snake-like lunge and bit him in two as it sped towards the Arthurian men at arms.

The remaining three knights were forced to race after it. Shiro could tell that they wouldn't catch up with it in time. He dispelled the bow and called forth Caliburn.

He walked forwards to meet the dragon.

The dragon spat a gobbet of flame as it ran. Shiro leaped to the side and then darted forwards with a roar of his own, bringing his borrowed Caliburn down on the dragon's shoulder. The monster was huge - it was worse than fighting Berserker. This was like trying to cleave a battleship with a sword. But Shiro did not have time to feel nervous - he was too focused on stopping the beast before it killed any of the men, the soldiers that Arturia had made him responsible for. Caliburn bit into the dragon's side, but not deeply. Before Shiro could do anything else, he had to dodge to avoid the dragon's teeth.

The knights caught up to the battle, but the Picts were close behind them.

"Men of Camelot, advance to attack!" Yelled Arturia as she plunged Excalibur into the dragons flank.

But the monster was so large that even though the blade sank in deep, it was not mortally wounded. It turned to face the greater threat, knocking Shiro to the ground with a swipe of its wing.

As Shiro staggered back up, all was in chaos around him. He couldn't see who was fighting were. A ululating Pict charged him, all painted in blue. Shiro knocked aside the spear and disemboweled his attacker with a single blow. He quickly looked away so as not to lose his lunch. It was the first human he had ever killed. It made him queasy.

As Shiro gathered himself, he saw Sir Bors get knocked to the ground by the dragon's paw. As the dragon turned its head to finish him off, Shiro darted in and smashed Caliburn into its teeth.

The dragon reared back and spat flame at the red headed warrior.

Shiro had a moment to realize what it was doing, and he extended his arm, Tracing forth Rho Aias. _I hope this works!_ As the flame washed over the flower shield, he advanced towards the source of the flame. The heat was excruciating, but he had felt worse. He pushed himself forward through the furnace heat. As the dragon finished its fiery exhalation, it was surprised to see its opponent still standing, and closer than before. Shiro plunged Caliburn into the monsters neck, drawing blood.

The dragon roared and tried to move back, to get room to counter attack, but Shiro pressed his advantage, slashing at the dragon's neck and front, fending off the feeble attacks that the dragon could manage - he was too close, the dragon could not bring its superior strength to bear.

Step by step, he pushed the dragon from the site of the battle. The other knights were busy fighting the Picts now, but Shiro did not notice as he continued to maul the dragon. Finally, the monster got desperate, and reared back on its hind legs so as to get a clear shot at its tiny tormentor.

As it did, Shiro darted in and brought Caliburn down in a powerful over-handed strike right at the monster's bulging belly.

Caliburn released a flash of light as it cut deeper than a normal sword could have, splitting the dragon's front in two. As it did, a raging ball of flame exploded from inside the dragon, engulfing both the dragon and Shiro.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter

Shiro was shaken awake - the bed was shaking.

Ok, I broke up the last chapter into 2 parts (No, not to be mean – I am just having a little trouble with the final part of the story)

START

It took him several minutes to realize that he was lying in a wagon that was bumping over poor roads.

"Ooh." He sat up with a groan.

"Don't strain yourself, Sir Shiro. Lie back down."

Shiro looked over - it was sir Bedivere, and his right leg was bound up in a splint. Shiro decided to take his advice, as sitting up was making him nauseous.

"I am surprised to see you awake." Bedivere made his way over to the injured Shiro. After peering at his face, and pulling the blanket down to see Shiro's almost unmarked torso, the other knight sighed and continued. "To be honest, we thought you would die of your injuries - you were badly burnt, and it looked like several bones were smashed as well. Yet it is two days later, and you are almost completely healed."

"Water" croaked Shiro.

"Oh, right." Bedivere retrieved a waterskin and held it carefully so Shiro could drink. "Is this magical healing something all wizards can do?"

"No." Shiro replied without explanation. "Where are we?"

"We are retreating towards Camalot."

"But I thought we had won?"

"When you slew the dragon, it was a great blow to the enemy, but they were better led than in the past - they had a contingent of Mordred's men with them, keeping the Picts in order. We managed to repel their attack, but there were too many of them to face in open combat. We had many casualties. They are following us, a half day behind. Honestly, if their supply train wasn't such a mess, they would have caught us by now."

"So what happens next?" Shiro's voice was much better after the drink.

"Well, once in Camelot, we will have the city walls to protect us, and there is no way the Picts can successfully besiege us. Not even with Mordred's help. But as to you, well Arturia wants to have a word with you as to how you stole her sword." frowned Bedivere.

_Oh, shit_ gulped Shiro as he contemplated an angry Arturia _what do I tell her? I can't tell her about the time travel - that will mess up causality even more. And I am pretty certain that there aren't any stories of King Arthur fighting a dragon. Maybe the story just got mixed up, but I have a really bad feeling about this_

The wagon rattled along in silence - Shiro didn't feel much like talking as he mulled over the fact that he had screwed up the timeline, and Bedivere winced stoically whenever a particular jolt made his leg move wrong. As dusk set in, the army showed no signs of stopping. Sir Yvain pushed the cloth covering the wagon aside and leaned in. "Sir Shiro, His Majesty want to know if you are well enough to cast a spell to provide the army with enough light so that we can keep marching after dark.

Shiro staggered up, trying to keep his balance in the jouncing wagon. He took a moment to assess himself, _Everything seems ok. Well, might as well try_ "I don't know - that's a lot of light. But I will give it a try. Driver - stop the wagon!"

He stumbled out of the now stopped wagon and clambered up onto a horse. He wasn't certain if it was the one he had ridden on earlier - all horses looked kind of the same to him. He closed his eyes and marshaled his strength. "Ok, here goes" He quietly recited the aria, producing a globe of light in his hand. He reached over and pressed it onto Yvain's shield. The knight started, and looked skeptically and the ball of light, but when he saw that it wasn't burning his shield, he relaxed.

Shiro started making a circuit of the army, and continued repeating the aria. Each time he had a ball of light, he attached it to a soldier's shield or spear. Sir Yvain rode with him, explaining to the startled men at arms what Shiro was doing. By the time it was full dark, Shiro's mage lights gave off enough light for the army to keep marching.

"Thank you", Yvain said, once Shiro sagged into his saddle, "We ran out of torches last night. Now we should be able to reach Camelot by midnight." He took a closer look at the tired magus, "Are you certain you are ok? You were appeared to be near death after the dragon fell on you. I wouldn't have asked you for the magic, but his Majesty insisted we needed to reach Camelot tonight." His voice was apologetic.

"I'm ok. And Arturia only pushes other people as hard as she pushes herself." Shiro smiled.

Sir Yvain raised an eyebrow at Shiro's statement, "Or perhaps she is distraught at sir Lancelot's death"

Shiro almost fell off his horse in shock before continuing on in stunned silence. He remembered seeing a knight bitten in half by the dragon, but his memory of the battle was so jumbled from the adrenaline that it had slipped his mind.

The army continued on to Camelot without any incident.

-*FSN*-*FSN-*-FSN-

As soon as he was inside the Castle walls, Shiro slid out of the saddle and staggered up to the stairs to Merlin's room _I need to find some way to read his journals. Maybe Merlin has something on time travel_ He had been getting more and more anxious about the harm he was doing here in the past as the hours of riding had gone by. He remembered that Lancelot wasn't supposed to have been killed by a dragon. He was certain of it. And what else had he messed up and not noticed?

Shiro barely staggered up the long flight of stairs - he was still sore from all the riding _Ok, maybe I can copy the books somehow and get Arturia to translate them for me_ He picked up one of the leather bound tomes at random: _The Workings of Phantasms_ read the cover page.

_Huh? It's in English?_ Shiro was puzzled. He picked up a second book, _On the yearly migration of the African Swallow_. _How?_ Shiro wasn't certain why he could now read the books, which previously were some foreign gobbledygook, but he wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth. He pulled up a chair and sat down to read.

-*FSN*-*FSN-*-FSN-

"I got something!" Rin crowed as she burst into Sakura's room. She had cast her tracing spell just the night before, and she already had a contact, "Come on, we have to check it out!"

Sakura stumbled of out of bed, "Give me a minute to get dressed, Rin-nie." It was fortunate that she woke up much more easily than her sister.

It was just a few minutes later that the two young women were jogging down the street, following Rin's amulet. Rin had enchanted a jewel to pull towards wherever her spell had detected Shiro's trace, and she had hung the jewel on a chain and let it dangle from her hand.

"This way!" they jogged into Fuyuki Memorial park. "It's close!"

"Why am I not surprised? Sakura muttered as they slowed to walk. This park was a memorial to those that had died in the great fire some 12 years ago.

After a brisk walk, Rin dropped to her knees and started brushing away the leaves, periodically glancing at her amulet. Sakura helped as best she could, but Rin was hovering over the spot so much that she couldn't get very close.

"Aha!" Rin poked at something. "Sakura, do you have anything to dig with?"

The younger girl looked around before handing Rin a flat stone, "Sorry, nei-san. This is the best I have"

Rin didn't even look up, and started digging. Several passers-by gave the two young women odd looks. Sakura frowned and scratched a quick ward into the ground, muttering a short Aria. After that, the onlookers lost interest, barely glancing at them as Rin attacked the dirt.

"Got it!" She exulted, holding up a piece of glass the size of her palm. "What is it?" she peered at it.

Sakura peered over her shoulder, "I think there is writing scratched into it."

Rin peered closer, "It says something about Latin?"

"That's it?"

"Well, it's a clue. And the spell won't give up. It will keep working, and in six months, it will be searching the other side of the world."

"I hope Shiro's OK."

Rin smacked her sister on the back of the head "Don't say stupid things like that! Of course he's ok!"

-*FSN*-*FSN-*-FSN-

Shiro awoke with his head pillowed on the desk, and sunlight streaming in through the window _I must have fallen asleep reading._ Shiro stood up, _Uh, better get some breakfast before it's too late_. He made his way down to the kitchens.

"There you are!" Shiro turned to see a furious looking Arturia. "Where were you? We had a meeting of the Round Table this morning to discuss our defenses."

"Oh, Sorry" Shiro replied guiltily. Should I be helping with the defenses, or will it make things worse? "I was up in Merlin's room, reading."

"I thought you said you couldn't read his books?" Arturia squinted accusingly at the Magus.

"Uh, I sort of can now. I don't know why." Shiro replied sheepishly.

Arturia continued to stare at him as if trying to see into him. "Don't disappear again. The Pictish scouts will arrive sometime today, and we may need you." She stormed off.

_Uhm... why is she so angry. Could it be that I traced Caliburn?_

Shiro continued on to the kitchen, and after a quick meal, went back up to reading.

In the late afternoon, there was some excitement as some of Mordred's raiders came into view, but they only exchanged a couple of arrows with the defenders on the city wall and then quickly turned tail and retreated.

Shiro kept reading into the night. Most of the books were on natural history, but there were several on magical theory, as well as two books of Merlin's notes. It was these that he was trying to puzzle out when Arturia made her entrance, followed by Bedivere.

"Do you know why Merlin didn't take his notes? I would think those would be very valuable to him." Shiro asked.

Arturia did not reply, so Sir Bedivere shrugged, "When Merlin left, he was desperately smitten with that witch, Niviane. In retrospect, I fear she may have enscrolled him. We should have questioned him more, but at the time, nobody knew that he was leaving for more than a day outing" Sir Bedivere shrugged again in embarrassment at his lapse.

Arturia sat down on the bed as Bedivere made his way to the fireplace and started building up a fire. "Shiro, how did you have Caliburn?"

"It wasn't the real one - I traced it, the same way I create all of my swords." Shiro replied somewhat defensively, confused.

"But since the Lady of the Lake gave me Excalibur, I have kept my Caliburn in my chambers. And I have never invited you into my chambers." Arturia continued intently, even though her cheeks colored. "You once told me that you can only recreate weapons that you have seen."

"Ah.." Shiro hemmed as his mind whirred.

"And you fight like you know me." Arturia continued to press. "The first time we sparred, you countered me easily, yet when you fought with Sir Bedivere, you were nowhere as good a fighter. It was almost like you knew my fighting style."

Shiro closed his mouth a snap. _There is nothing I can say. I'm not going to lie to Arturia, but I can't tell her the truth!_

The two continued to stare silently at each other. Finally, Sir Bedivere turned from the fire that he had been tending with a sigh, "I think there are too many secrets in this room. I think if we spoke the truth, that which is in our hearts, we could clear away these misunderstandings." He looked at the other two occupants. Both looked impassively stubborn.

_Sigh_ "Very well, I will go first" Sir Bedivere sat down on a stool where he could face the other two without turning too much, "I was born a woman."

"What?" Shiro burst out as the same time as Arturia started, "Are you certain...?"

"I was an eight year old girl when I saw Arturia pull the sword from the stone and then defeat all the assembled knights of the realm in single combat. It was then that I decided that I would be like her and take up arms." Bedivere smiled at the memory, "But I knew that as a woman, I would never be allowed to be a knight. So I went to a hedge witch that lived at the edge of town and asked her to make it so that I wouldn't grow up to be a woman." The smile turned bitter.

"So... she turned you into a man?" Shiro wondered. Even with modern magic, that would be a working of impressive power.

"No. She just stopped me from being a woman. Now, I am neither." Sir Bedivere frowned, "So while I am a knight, I can never find love or marry." She looked up at Arturia meaningfully. Arturia looked away.

Sir Bedivere turned to Shiro, "And you? How is it that you know Arturia so well?"

Shiro's thought roiled. He didn't want to say anything, but Bedivere candid confession compelled him to make an equal exchange, a truth for a truth. Finally, his sense of honor overcame his common sense (as often happened).

"I.. know Arturia because we fought side by side in a Holy Grail war, a magical ritual." Shiro turned to Arturia, "You said that I seemed to know your sword style very well, that is because you are the one who taught me how to fight."

Arturia looked shocked, "I think I would remember something like that!" she stood up, and her hand went to her sword.

"You don't remember it because it hasn't happened yet, at least not for you." Shiro continued to sit. "I came from far in the future."

"What!" Artura exclaimed, and Bedivere's mouth dropped open.

"So you can tell me what happens? How do we defeat the Picts?" Arturia demanded.

"I can't say! Even if I knew, I couldn't" Shiro pleaded, "When I came from, this is all so long in the past, that it only exists in stories. They even think that you are a man." Shiro smiled deprecatingly.

Sir Bedivere snorted in amusement.

"But you must know something!" Arturia demanded, looking for some advantage.

"That's the thing - even if I knew, I shouldn't tell you, or I could really mess up the past, I mean the future, you know..." Shiro trailed off, flustered. Refusing to help people was extremely difficult for him, "I already messed things up. I don't know much about your history, future, but I do know that Lancelot was supposed to outlive you." Shiro looked down at his hands, "I don't know what effect that will have, but I don't want to screw up things any worse."

"So what's so special about your past?" Asked Bedivere, "To us, its the future, and still to be determined. Maybe your changes will make the future a better place"

Shiro shook his head vehemently, "If I create a paradox - for instance I use my future knowledge of an event to keep it from happening - then something has to give. I don't understand the magical theory, but according to Rin - my magic teacher - Gaea (the world force) will self correct. Entire chunks of reality could end up disappearing..."

Arturia sat down and mulled over what Shiro had said. Silence settled in, with the fire's quiet crackling the only sound. Sir Bedivere watched Arturia, not wishing to interrupt. "But if it was so far in the future that we met, how was I still alive? Was I an old lady?"

Shiro shook his head, "No, you were as beautiful as ever. You were called forth from the Throne of Heroes (from the afterlife, sort of) by the magic of the Heavens Feel ritual."

Arturia replied slowly "So.. that is why you have been so forward with me. We were friends in your time."

"Uhm, yeah..." Now it was Shiro's turn to color as he recalled the events leading up to the final battle with Berserker.

The three sat quietly, before Bedivere turned to Arturia, "your turn"

Arturia did not say anything, staring intently at the fire.

"Ok, I think my work here is done, " Bedivere got up, "I'll leave the two of you to talk." and she went out the door.

Arturia sat quietly for a long time, before asking, "How close were we, before?"

"Very." Shiro replied quietly, not looking at Arturia.

Arturia nodded. "You know, I can tell when you are nearby, without even seeing you. It's like some sort of cord is connecting us." She paused, "Were we married?"

"No!" Shiro looked back up at Arturia, startled, before explaining, "you weren't in my time long enough." There was an awkward pause, "Though we acted like we were." Shiro hinted.

"Oh" Arturia digest that comment. After a moment, she got up and walked over to Shiro hesitantly, "it might be nice if we did again."

"Oh?" Shiro's eyes got wide.

Arturia smiled and held out her hand to him, "yes".

-*FSN*-*FSN-*-FSN-.

Shiro woke up just after sun rise. Somewhat to his surprise, he was alone in bed. _Probably for the best_ he thought as he rolled over onto his back and stared at the ceiling, _I need to leave this time. I can't get involved with Saber, Arturia. _At that thought, a pang of guilt shot through him, and for some reason his mind flashed to Rin _Rin and I avoided getting involved for exactly this reason, because she was leaving and the relationship couldn't last. And now, I am doing it to Arturia. _

Shiro threw himself out of bed and pulled on his cloths _I can't keep doing this_. He made his way to the kitchen for a quick breakfast before disappearing back into Merlin's tower.

-*FSN*-*FSN-*-FSN-

_He's half my age_ Arturia mused, _And the last relationship I was in was a complete disaster_ The thought of Lancelot sent confused emotions roiling through her _I need to speak to Guinevere._ Arturia had not spoken to her estranged sister since she had returned to Camelot. _Later._

"Your majesty?" Sir Yvain called Artura's focus back to the Round table, where they were discussing the logistics of withstanding a siege, "The Picts have been sighted. Their army will be at the walls by nightfall".

Arturia sighed in frustration, "set up extra pickets to the wall, but let most of the men rest - the Picts aren't going to be ready to do anything when they first arrive, and probably they won't attack tomorrow either." She paused, and then added, "send for Shiro - we may need to counter Morgana's magic."

Sir Yvain turned to Bedivere, "It's hard to remember that that boy is a wizard. He fights like some hero out of legend. He's a modern day Hercules"

Sir Bedivere nodded, "I wonder if he is truly as young as he looks" She glanced at Artura, who didn't look a day over sixteen. Until she had lost Avalon last year, Arturia appearance hadn't aged since she received Excalibur. A sudden thought stuck Bedivere- until she had lost Avalon, Arturia had also retained the enthusiasm and optimism of youth as well. Was her current despondence due to its loss as well?

"Sir Bedivere, please have the fire watch make sure that all the water stations are refilled. And have them spend the afternoon practicing getting up onto the roofs near their station – I expect the Picts will try catapulting flaming pitch at us." Arturia's business like tone pulled sir Bedivere from her musings.

"Sir Owen, how are we for supplies?"

"We have enough food for two months easily, twice that if we slaughter the animals and switch to light rations."

"I doubt the Picts will be able to hold a siege that long - they will have to go home to bring in their harvest, or they will starve this winter." sir Yvain commented.

Arturia nodded, "So there is not much to do except wait." _And spend time with Shiro_. A thread of doubt wormed into her thoughts. He was too young for her. And it somehow felt wrong that she should be so happy during such a time.

-*FSN*-*FSN-*-FSN-

Shiro was flipping through the end of Merlin's most recent journal when he found it. It seems that recently Merlin had become obsessed with the future. There were multiple spells for scrying and prophesy, as well as one that could call items from the future to the present day. Shiro tried to see if that one could be reversed, to send something into the future, but the spell was a monster - he couldn't figure out enough of it to say where it began, much less how to invert it. Part of the spell had to be cast several months ahead of time, and if the notes were correct, the first part of the spell was cast after the second part. He shook his head _Is all this necessary?_

He flipped forwards a few page, and there it was - a stasis spell. Merlin called it a 'crystal cocoon'. It let the recipient travel through time the usual way, but in a magical sleep, waking him after a pre-determined time. The spell was not very complicated, though it required a fair bit of brute power. Shiro started reading intently.

After an hour, he felt confident that he could cast it. The Cocoon had to be attached to a Lei line, to keep feeding it power during the centuries, but Merlin had written down the location of several ideal spots. There was also a list of spell materials - bat wings, eyes of newt, and such. Shiro ran over to the workbench. After a careful perusal, he was certain that all the supplies were there in plentitude. It really was a very simple spell.

_Thank the Kami I can read this journal. It must have been that weird magic gem. but where..._ Shiro's eyes got wide _Of course! Time travel! Rin must have figured it out._ Shiro's thoughts grew nostalgic as he thought of the pig-tailed mage _Those pig tails make her look too young. Makes me feel guilty about being attracted to her..._ Shiro's thoughts trailed off in confusion and guilt _But that's in the past. I am with Arturia._

Shiro pulled himself together and brought his mind to his current problem _I need to send a message to Rin, telling her to send the magic language gem back to now._ His mind whirled.

He grabbed a double handful of ashes from the fireplace and spread them out on the floor in a thick layer. He then wrote "Send a Latin language teaching gem to" – here he was delayed: he had to run all over the castle before he was able to find somebody who knew the date.. He then pulled up his Prana and with a steady pressure, reinforced the ashes just so. For several minutes, he strained, but nothing happened.

Then, with a flash of light and heat, the ashes were replaced by what looked like a flat piece of a brown glass. It looked like a piece of a beer bottle. Shiro picked it up and examined it with his magical senses. It was diamond. Mostly. Some of the ash hadn't switched over, but is should still be sturdy to survive the centuries. Now all he had to do was to figure out how to get it to Japan, to where Fuyuko city would be.

Shiro sat back down at the desk and slumped in fatigue.

_I wonder if Merlin is somewhere in my time, exploring a brave new world._ Shiro remembered that the quantities for the spell materials had been doubled on the last page _huh, I bet he brought his girlfriend with him._

Shiro's gut twisted as he thought of Arturia, _She'll never leave her kingdom_ He lowered his head to the desk in confusion.

"Sir Shiro!" there was a pounding on his door, "Sir Shiro, His Majesty want you at the Round Table!" A page called through the door.

-*FSN*-*FSN-*-FSN-

"The picts are setting up camp, "Arturia informed him when he arrived, "And they won't have any siege equipment built for several days at least. But I would like you to inform me if you sense any magical attack." The pair had gone up to the walls of the castle to get a better view of the enemy.

The Pictish camp sprawled on the northern side of the city wall, half a mile away. The were already lighting camp fires as dusk set in.

Shiro was conflicted, on the one hand, he wanted to keep people safe, and to help the woman he loved, but doing so could end up causing untold damage to reality, maybe killing people. But he couldn't say no - this was Arturia.

"Ok, I will do my best."

Arturia smiled and took his hand surreptitiously. After a moment, the smile slid off her face with a sigh, but she held onto Shiro's hand even tighter, "The siege won't last, but I fear for the peasants. They can't bear too much more of this abuse. After the Picts depart, we will have to find some way to aid them." She glanced at Shiro, "Do you have any secrets from the future that could help?"

"I... I can't say" Shiro replied in consternation.

Arturia sighed, "The paradox. Right, I forgot." She looked up at Shiro, "When I am with you, I forget so many things."

""Uhm, Is that a good thing?" Shiro asked.

Arturia sighed again "I don't know. I am the king, and I am supposed to be thinking of my kingdom at all times, but with you, I am just a woman."

Shiro thought about how to best reply, "Something that I learned is that you have to take time for yourself. You can't always be thinking of what other people need, otherwise something inside of you will die, and you can't help anybody anymore."

Arturia though about that for a moment, then stepped up onto tip toe and gave Shiro a quick kiss on the mouth before stepping back, almost guiltily, "Now is not the time. We have a war to fight."

-*FSN*-*FSN-*-FSN-

"There is fighting in the city!" A shout woke Shiro out of a sound sleep. It was still night. Arturia jumped out of bed and started pulling on her clothes.

There was a sharp knock on the door. "Your majesty.." Sir Bedivere called in puzzlement from the other side of the bedroom door, "can I come in?"

"NO" replied Arturia, "I will be out momentarily," She pulled her dress on over her head. "What happened?"

There was a confused pause. "We aren't certain - they somehow came through the walls. It must have been some sort of magic. But a small force of Picts has made its way to the postern gate. If they get that open, Camelot is in danger."

Shiro pulled on his clothes as he gathered his wits.

Arturia turned to the red head and whispered, "Follow when you can" She gave him a quick kiss and darted out of the room.

Shiro finished getting dressed. As he stepped out into the corridor, he was hit by a wave of nausea. It felt like the walls were swaying and his stomach was going to crawl out his throat. Looking around, he saw a man-at-arms who had been rushing down the corridor collapse clutching his stomach.

Shiro channeled prana into his circuits and pushed it outwards. His magic caught on whatever spell was on him, and loosed it from his flesh. It relieved the worst of the dizziness.

_It's not just me_ Shiro extended his magical sense. There was a cloying sent in the air, as of over ripe fruit, or rotting meat. _I should have warded the castle_ Shiro tried to focus on where the spell was coming from. He slowly turned in a circle, sniffing the air. The smell was stronger upwards.

Shiro raced down the hall, sniffing as he went. The smell was strongest on the next floor up. He burst into a bedroom. From the large size and girly furnishings, it must have been Guineveres'. As he pushed his way in, sniffing, he traced his swords. Lying slumped at the foot of the bed was the king's sister, lying in a pool of her own vomit. Sitting on the windowsill was a large crow.

"Caw" it looked at Shiro coldly. The smell was coming from it, and this close, it was starting to overwhelm his defenses as well. Shiro threw his swords at it, but the crow flapped its way out of the window.

Shiro ran over to where it had been sitting, to see it circle out over the city. He reinforced his eyes so that he could see in the dark and called forth his bow.

The crow was flying towards the postern gate, where the fighting was.

Shiro drew back and aimed his arrow at it. He channeled some prana to empower the arrow and fired it at the corby.

The crow exploded into a cloud of black feathers.

Shiro breathed a sigh of relief. As he scanned the town, he saw the castle gate open, and a mass of men at arms sortie forth, led by Arturia.

Shiro froze. He needed to go with her.

But this wasn't his war.

"What are you waiting for?" A voice called from behind him. Shiro turned to see Gwenivere gathering herself up, a sheet in her hands as she cleaned herself off, "Go kill those bastards." He was surprised at the venom in her voice, before he remembered Lancelot.

Shiro nodded and left, heading down towards the castle gate. As he made his way towards the fighting, he still wasn't certain what he was planning to do.

It was odd - the city was empty and quiet around him, but from up ahead he heard the sound of steel on steel and men in pain.

As he walked along the main rode, he crested a slight rise, and he could see the fighting around the postern gate. The Picts had captured it, and they were slowly pushing the defenders back. Several of the buildings were starting to smolder from dropped torches. It was hard to see who was who from this distance, but it didn't look good.

Shiro stood frozen, uncertain what the right thing to do was. There were people dying all around him. Maybe Eadwig or Brian or some of the others he had known and fought along side with. But if he intervened, would he doom countless others to death or non-existence? It was then that a sharp smell caught his senses. Shiro immediately darted behind a shed and prepared to summon forth his limited magical defenses when he heard the whistling of arrows and screams of pain. He peered down towards where the fighting was.

There was no more fighting - bodies lay everywhere, skewered on arrows, as the Camelot survivors fled into the maze of building across from the postern gate, with the Picts in pursuit.

Something snapped inside Shiro. People were dying in front of him and Arturia was in danger. It didn't matter what would happen in the future, or any remote consequences. He needed to help. He called forth Bakuya and Kanshou and ran forward to meet the Picts.

He wove his way through the maze of narrow building half at random, trying to follow the sound of the fighting. But it was incredibly frustrating - many of the alleys ended abruptly, forcing Shiro to backtrack to find another route.

So he was running at full speed when he came across a band of ten blue painted warriors.

"Yeaah!" He roared, tearing into them with ferocity. His first rush took three of them out of the fight. He pivoted once he was on the other side of the band. As they raised their spears to attack, he threw Kanshou and Bakuya at them and traced Durandel.

The flying swords decapitated two of the blue warriors, as Shiro sprang in at them, cleaving another enemy from shoulder to hip.

Those survived his initial rush scattered.

Shiro stood panting for a moment before throwing up at the carnage.

-*FSN*-*FSN-*-FSN-

Shiro stood and listened. The fighting was close by. This time, he advanced slowly, Kanshou and Bakuya held at the ready.

As he rounded a corner, he almost slammed into a pair of Picts accompanied by a strange knight. Shiro deflected a panicky spear thrust before stepping in and decapitating the Pict. The knight turned to face this new opponent, but Shiro moved faster than humanly possible and smashed his sword through the armor and into the knight's side. The blow shattered Bakuya as well, so Shiro released it and traced a new copy. The remaining Pict, seeing the demon that was about to attack him, turned tail and ran.

Shiro looked after him for a moment, and then ran towards the sound of fighting. This part of town was less of a maze, with straight alleys, so it was only a few minutes before Shiro caught up to the battle. What he saw made him stop in his tracks.

He rounded a corner into the plaza where the fighting was centered, to find Arturia and Sir Yvain standing amongst the bodies of several fallen men at arms as they fended of attacks from a silver haired warrior in red and a band of foreign knights under his command.

It was Archer.

He was still dressed as Shiro had last seen him, centuries hence, in red armor, and he wielded a flaming broadsword - Kusanagi.

Shiro stopped stunned for a moment. One of the foreign knights - one of Mordred's, most likely - darted in under sir Yvain's guard and delivered a slashing blow to his side. The Camelot knight staggered, a hand to his side as Arturia stepped past him and decapitated his attacker.

_What?_ Shiro didn't understand. Why was Archer doing this? What was he doing here? Archer didn't look Anglo-Saxon. But as Kusanagi almost hit Arturia, one thing became clear - somebody was threatening the woman he loved. Everything else was secondary.

"I am the bone of my sword."

"Steel is my body, and fire is my blood."

"I've created over a thousand blades."

Archer leaped away from Arturia's counter attack and started. He let the other knight dual with Arturia while he took a quick looked around.

"Unaware of loss."

"Nor aware of gain"

As the foreign knight faltered before Arturia's onslaught, Archer darted in to attack Arturia from the side, but she leaped back, parrying his blow.

"Withstood pain to create many weapons."

"Waiting for love's arrival"

"I have no regrets. This is the only path."

As Shiro finished his Aria, he saw Archer pause and turn towards him, "You! You are the cause of this!" A swarm of swords flew at Shiro.

"My whole life is Unlimited Blade Works!"

Shiro deflected the swords aimed at him with a barrage of his own swords. The two Fakers charged each other.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter

Some time earlier.

Arturia raced towards the postern gate. A large band of men at arms followed her, and they were hard pressed to keep up, despite their longer legs. _Thank god - they haven't broken through!_ The two defenders had their backs to the gate, and were outnumbered by a dozen invaders, but a toppled wagon provided cover on one side, and the wall was at their back. The heavy postern could only be opened by turning a crank built into it, and the defenders still guarded it.

The attackers were all in heavy armor, and wore Mordred's colors. These weren't any Pictish amateurs.

"Attack!" Arturia shouted, drawing Excalibur. "For Camelot!"

The Camelot reinforcements smashed into the attackers, and for a moment, it appeared that the invaders would be routed. But then HE was there. A warrior dressed all in red, and wielding two swords with ferocious speed.

The red knight decimated her men - they stood no chance. Every blow slew another. Arturia leaped at him with a roar. The red warrior deflected her attack with one blade as he attacked with the other. His style was sloppy, relying on brute speed and ferocity, much like Shiro's.

Arturia and the enemy were evenly matched, but the red warriors initial attack had let his men gain control of the postern, and now they had the wagon to protect their side as they slowly cranked the gate open.

Arturia was becoming frustrated. She couldn't get past his defenses. As they exchanged blow after blow, she started to notice a pattern. After each downward slash with the left sword, he raised his elbow too high as he returned the sword to guard. It left a tiny opening, but one she could exploit. The next time it happened, Arturia gathered herself to strike_, He's a sloppy fighter. Just like Shiro. Except Shiro's openings are fake..._

Arturia threw herself out of the way at the last moment, just as a sword passed through where her neck would have been if she had continued her attack.

Her eyes grew wide as she realized that the sword was Bakyu _Shiro... _To a kensei like Arturia, each person's sword style was like a fingerprint, unique. A pain seized her heart as she swung a ferocious block that shattered the Chinese sword. She stepped back to make sense of what was happening.

As she did, the red warrior started a chant "I am the bone of my sword. Steel is my body, and fire is my blood."

Arturia was about to leap forwards to attack him when a strangely shaped arrow flew from the sky straight at her. She deflected it, only to have another and another follow it.

As she batted the falling arrow shaped swords, she saw the toll that the weapons were having on her men - half of them had been pierced by one of the unnatural weapons. "Retreat! Through the tanners' district!" Arturia ordered. The tanners' district was a maze of tiny alleys between buildings that should be mostly empty at this time of night.

As she fought a rear guard action, she saw the red knight create a sword from thin air.

_Why Shiro?_ the pain of his betrayal was like a knife in her gut.

-*FSN*-*FSN-*-FSN-

NOW

Arturia disemboweled another attacker and paused to glance around. Sir Yvain had passed out, but he might still be alive. The enemy was down to one knight - it was Mordred himself, but he was fearful of attacking her.

Where was the warrior in red? She looked around, and her eyes opened in surprise as she saw him dueling with… Shiro? They fought with a speed that was beyond human, flinging swords at each other that had not been there seconds before. The air was filled with metal.

Shiro threw himself under archer's guard, trying to reach an opening, only to have the warrior in red knock him aside with his other sword and bring the first down in an overhead slash.

Shiro lunged left, roofblocking with the right sword as he attacked with the other. As Archer blocked it, Shiro brought the right sword around his head for a slash at Archer's neck.

But Archer darted into Shiro's guard and kneed him in the chest, sending the younger man sprawling.

The battle didn't look like any sane sword fight. It was like watching berserker honey badgers on steroids trying to maul each other. It was only a matter of time before somebody lost a body part.

Mordred followed her glance and he stopped too, awestruck. But then he had no more time to gawk, as Arturia used his distraction to attack, and he was fighting for his life.

-*FSN*-*FSN-*-FSN-

Archer went on the offensive, swinging short chopping swings. The attacks weren't very powerful, but they came fast, so Shiro had to concentrate on defending himself. As he did, swords congealed out of the air around Archer and shot forwards at him.

Shiro had his hands full deflecting archers attacks, so he threw himself to the right, rolling out of the way before leaping back up and making a rising swing at Archer's legs.

Archer leaped into the air, pulling his legs up, as he brought the Green Dragon Crescent Blade – an immensely heavy pole arm – down towards Shiro's head.

Shiro's eyes grew wide – He blocked with Rho Aias. The blow from the fabled weapon was still powerful enough to throw him back into a wall. As Archer pressed his attack, Shiro leaped off to the right and called down a rain of swords onto Archer, forcing Archer to leap backwards

"Why are you doing this?" Shiro demanded as he deflected another sword. "I thought you were a hero." He really shouldn't be talking – defending himself against Archer was taking all his concentration. But this was Shiro.

Archer paused in his attack, "Kid, heroes don't always act nice. Sometimes, you have to kill good people to stop evil."

"Arturia has done nothing wrong. She would NEVER do anything evil."

"I know, kid. I was referring to you." Archer raised his weapon, but he was reluctant to attack.

"What? What did I do?"

"You fucked up all of reality, you stupid shit." Archer replied without rancor. "King Arther DIED at Camlann. You rescued her. Arturia's story so deeply woven into the fabric of history that all of reality will come undone unless I fix things."

"You mean kill her." Shiro replied coldly.

"Yes, kill her." Archer hissed. There was pain in his voice.

"But can't the reality adjust, I mean, so the future will be different, why is that a problem?" Shiro demanded

"Because this is big." Archer replied, exasperated, "If you had gone back in time and asked Sakura out to the prom, Reality would have adjusted. But this is King Arthur. Her story helps define magical reality for the next thousand years or more. One is a reed that can bend, the other is a massive marble column supporting the roof." Archer, whatever else he might be, apparently wasn't a master of allegory.

Shiro stood facing off against Archer. Neither attacked. In the background, they could hear the sound of Mordred franticly peeing himself... erg, defending himself.

"But you don't want to." Shiro added.

"Kid, what I want doesn't matter." Archer raised his swords to finish off his incredibly stupid younger self.

"Wait!" Shiro called out, "what if she leaves this time, and travels to the future?"

Archer lowered his weapons, "You don't know that sort of magic."

"But Merlin does! He used a time travel spell on himself and his girlfriend already."

"Are you certain?"

"At least give her the choice."

Archer sighed and turned toward the melee that had come close to his side. He waved his hand, and a sword flew out hilt first and "clonged!" into Mordred's helm, knocking him to the ground.

Arturia turned towards the two fakers as her opponent collapsed like a puppet with its cut strings.

"Arturia, wait!" Shiro called out.

The woman king held her sword on guard suspiciously.

"Remember how I said I came here from the future? This man did as well. He is also from my time."

Arturia's eyes grew large, _Do all the wizards from the future use such potent battle magic?_

"He says that..." Shiro was at a loss for words

"King Arthur died at Camlann." Finished archer. "When Shiro rescued you, he screwed up the timeline. If you continue as you are, all reality will come undone, and everybody dies. You, me, all of Camelot. I am a Counter Guardian, a champion of the world force Alaya. I was sent here to restore reality."

"And why should I believe you?" Demanded Arturia.

"I think you can trust him.." Began Shiro, but Arturia just glared at him skeptically.

Archer sighed and ran a hand through his already mussed hair. "Shiro was not quite correct when he said I am from his time. I am from twenty years FURTHER in his future." Archer sighed, "And you can believe me because you know me. My name is Shiro Emya."

Shiro looked on in shock at Archer _that explains a lot._

Arturia lowered her sword as she digested this news. "So, if I live, everything dies?"

"You don't have to die," Interrupted Shiro, pulling his thoughts together. "You just can't live NOW. Merlin has a spell for traveling through time to the future. If you come with me to MY time, then everything will be fine. Right?" Shiro asked this to Counter Guardian Emya.

"Yes." Counter Guardian Emya nodded grudgingly.

Arturia stood in thought as the sounds of distance battle rang out, "but my people..."

"They will look after themselves, as they must."

Arturia looked at her sword, then at Shiro, "I.. I will go with you." She sheathed her sword, "It will be a grand adventure." She smiled beatifically at Shiro. And Shiro looked at her as he took her hand.

"Ehm." Archer hemmed uncomfortably, "you need to cast the spell now."

Shiro nodded "we need to get to the closest Lei line. According to Merlin's notes, there's one due north. It's about five miles away. Oh, one more thing" Shiro reached into his pocket and pulled out the slab of brown diamond, "can you get this to Rin?"

Archer snorted a laugh, "What am I, a messenger service?"

Shiro rolled his eyes, "can you or can't you? Without this, causality will be violated, and the timeline will be screwed up again."

"Fine" Archer sighed, taking the plaque. "You can get horses from the Pictish camp - they didn't post any guards.

"Typical" sneered Arturia.

"Go, or I will have to kill you."

The two lovers looked at each other and ran.

"Ugh.." Archer turned to see Mordred stagger to his feet. "So what, you let them go? How do you know they won't come back? They could endanger my rule!" He demanded of Archer.

Archer sighed. "You know," he started conversationally as he swung his arm across his body casually. At the last moment, he materialized Kansho in his hand. Mordred just had time to look surprised before the sword took his head off his shoulders, "you died at Camlann too" Archer finished.

-*FSN*-*FSN-*-FSN-

"So you can cast the spell in this cave?" Arturia asked. She felt... odd. Almost like she was a little girl. No responsibilities. She was going off to a new place, to start a new life. Just like a young bride.

"Yeah. Merlin's notes said that mana, magic that is, pooled naturally at the back of this cave from the Lei line that flows past it. That magic will power the spell."

Arturia nodded and let Shiro start the ritual. She was alternately filled with anticipation and dread.

Finally, as evening fell, Shiro pronounced "It's done."

What had been an empty cave now was half filled with what looked like quartz. There was just one opening, big enough for two people.

"I am sorry you had to lose your throne." Shiro said.

"It's ok, I don't think I would have been a very good king anymore. The last few months, I just didn't care. And I hated myself for it. I felt that I was a horrible king, but I couldn't force myself to change." Artura smiled and stepped close to Shiro, "but now I know that it was the world, pressuring me to step down. So now I can serve my people best by NOT being king." She leaned in and kissed Shiro passionately on the lips.

"We'll have to save the rest for the future. The spell will activate soon." Shiro took Arturia's hand and led her into the crystal hollow, and into the future.

END

I will have an epilogue up in a couple of days


	7. EPILOGUE

I added a little more detail to the fight scene in the previous chapter. nothing big

EPILOGUE

"Shiro!" There was a dull pounding. Shiro forced his eyes open. Everything looked blurry. _Where am I?_ He thought muzzily.

"Shiro! Are you ok?" Shiro looked up - there was something in front of his face. A glass? Or a crystal of some sort? He couldn't think of what it was. His head was pounding in pain. All of him hurt.

WHAM. WHAM. More pounding from the outside. A person - a woman? Was pounding on the crystal, and her blows were causing it to shatter.

"Shiro, if you can hear me, protect your eyes!"

CRACK.

The crystal turned to powder, and Shiro slumped to the ground.

The woman ran up to kneel by him. "Are you ok?" She handed him a bottle of water.

He looked up - why did Rin have tears streaming down her face?

_What? Rin? I'm back in the future._

"Murg?" He tried to ask, "Arturia? Ok?". He took the bottle absently and drained it in a single gulp.

Rin froze, and she looked like her heart had just been torn out.

"Shiro, the spell you used... was it Merlin's?"

"Yeah" He managed, as he tried to get shakily to his feet.

"The spell.. Merlin.." Rin collected herself, "Saber.. Arturia didn't make it, Shiro."

"WHAT?" Shiro nearly fainted from the shock. He staggered over to where Arturia lay in the crystal rubble. She looked like she was still asleep, but her body was cold, and her skin sallow. She was dead.

He slid back down to the ground, "I.. I thought it was such a simple spell. How could I have screwed it up? Maybe it was that I had to trace the material components? Maybe part of the spell was not written down?"

Rin sat down and put her arms around Shiro as he started to sob. "It's not your fault. The spell was defective. Merlin didn't know enough math to calculate the position of the Lei line down through the ages."

"What?" Shiro looked dumbly down.

"The Lei lines vibrate. Merlin didn't correct properly for that. So his spell let a little time through. You aged about an hour every year. So over the centuries, you aged a little over a month in there."

"But one month?" Shiro asked incredulously.

Rin had a pained look on her face as she said, "Shiro, the human body can only live for maybe three days without water. Avalon kept you alive despite that. But Arturia has been dead for centuries. I'm sorry."

"How do you know this?"

"From the history class I am taking at the Clock Tower - The Professor said that explorers found Merlin's body in the early 1800's"

Shiro finally collapsed, his reserves used up.

Rin pulled him close "Don't worry, Shiro. I'll take care of you."


	8. Sequel

I am gong to write a sequel to this story.

First chapter will be going up today or tomorrow.

It will be set 10 years in the future, and Shirou has put to good use what he learned from King Arturia. Rin, on the other hand, is still the same. Shirou x Rin

Shirou & his magic will have diverged from canon a fair bit (obviously).


End file.
